What causes dizziness?
There are many causes of dizziness. Some causes include high blood pressure, side effects from medications, disorders of the inner ear, age related changes to the central nervous system or even trauma to the head. An ENT physician can diagnose most causes of dizziness and a referral may be made to an Audiologist for treatment or management.
While it is normal for healthy individuals to sometimes experience dizziness after standing up quickly (particularly after a heavy meal), sometimes dizziness can be due to peripheral (ear) or central (brain, spinal cord) problems. One of the most common balance disorders is Benign Paroxysmal Positioning Vertigo (BPPV). This problem is caused when there is debris inside the vestibular system of your inner ear. The good news is that this disorder is typically cured with a one-time, non-invasive therapy.
We have all suffered from it at one point or another; the room starts to spin or one feels strangely light-headed. These symptoms are commonly known as dizziness. They can be either harmless or a symptom of an underlying problem. The cause of dizziness may be something as simple as standing up too quickly, or it could indicate a more serious infection.
There are three primary systems in the body that keep us in balance by feeding input to the brain the eyes (visual system), inner ears (vestibular system) and muscles/joints (proprioceptive system). If a conflict or disturbance occurs in any of these systems, you can feel dizzy, unsteady on your feet, have a sense of vertigo or suffer from nausea. Dizziness has many causes. Finding the exact reason for the condition and providing effective treatment can be difficult. Many people experience dizziness due to a change in the vestibular system, the part of the inner ear dedicated to balance and body position. Sometimes the damage can be traced to a head trauma, ear infections, a virus, drugs, a stroke and, in rare instances, a slow-growing tumor. So while the cause may not be easily determined, its important to eliminate medical possibilities.
