Accurate dizziness symptoms important for diagnosis

For effective treatment, circumstances surrounding dizziness should be described in detail

05/08/2012

Anyone who suffers from dizziness, should go to the doctor. It is important to note the nature of the vertigo attacks, such as duration, possible triggers or amplifiers, so that the attending physician can more effectively make a diagnosis. Dizziness can have many causes and is therefore treated very differently.

According to evaluations of the health insurance companies, one third of the people in Germany suffer from dizziness at least once during their lifetime. After headache and backache, dizziness is one of the most common complaints patients describe in doctors' offices.

Many causes of dizziness
Dizziness can have many different causes. Therefore, it is not always easy for the attending physician to quickly make a diagnosis. However, a detailed description of the symptoms can help the neurologist or ENT specialist to initiate a suitable therapy, as explained by Prof. Michael Strupp of the German Society of Neurology (DGN) in Berlin.

Dizziness is felt, for example, as turning or wavering. The symptoms can only occur briefly or permanently. In addition, concomitant symptoms such as hearing loss, visual disturbances associated with double vision or headache may occur.

Dizziness when turning in bed
If dizziness occurs when turning over in bed, a so-called benign peripheral positional vertigo could be present. The affected person becomes dizzy because small crystals have deposited in one of the semicircular canals of the inner ear. Once the head or body is stored differently, there may be a short-term vertigo and nausea, as the doctor reports. The complaints could be achieved in such cases by a deliberate movement of the head and body. Dizzinesses are e.g. Swindle, Schwankschwindel, Liftschwindel or psychogenic dizziness. In many cases, targeted exercises or remedies can help. (Sb)

Read about:
Mental causes of dizziness
Dizziness is a serious symptom