Dizziness Research
Dizziness comes in many forms but the major type is vertigo. Vertigo is a condition in which the person has a feeling of moving or spinning or feels that objects are moving or spinning while the person is standing still. Usually along with this is loss of balance and nausea. This could last for only a short time or could be several hours or days. Lying down may help, but it would not necessarily stop the vertigo. An organ in the inner ear controls balance, so the cause of vertigo could be from abnormalities within the ear. There are many other causes from the inner ear such as bacteria, virus infections, tumors, nerve inflammation, or toxic substances.
Motion sickness from a ship or car is one of the most common causes of vertigo. This will clear up shortly after the motion is halted. The viral infections in the inner ear that cause vertigo come on suddenly and may develop into a more severe condition, but it usually clears up after a few days. If the symptoms from vertigo are mild with no underlying condition that is the cause, it will clear up shortly and no treatment is necessary. Under a doctor's care many of the other vertigo conditions can be cleared up with drugs.
If the person has vertigo and also has difficulty speaking, weakness in arm or leg, or severe headache, it is a dangerous condition and the person should immediately be under a doctor's care, since the cause of the vertigo could be from a stroke, tumor or some other neurological disorder and not from an inner ear problem.
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is a condition that happens frequently. It begins suddenly and lasts only a few seconds.
This could be a condition caused from a blow to the head or even from age related degeneration. It happens when a person is lying in bed and turns the head sharply to right, left or backward to look up. This is a harmless condition and clears up on its own in a few weeks.
Meniere's disease is a condition in which the person has recurring attacks of disabling vertigo, hearing loss and tinnitus. Symptoms are sudden attacks of vertigo and nausea and vomiting that last for up to 24 hours then slowly disappear. This usually affects only one ear. Under a doctor's direction, drugs may give temporary relief, but there are many options of treatment with surgery. A specialist should be consulted to diagnose the condition and suggest the most effective treatment.
