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Health Dizziness correctly recognized can be treated well
Dizziness is what most people know. If these occur repeatedly and without apparent cause, urgent medical examination should be carried out. Because behind the complaints can be quite serious cause. The dizziness after successful diagnosis can also be successfully treated in many cases, reports the German Society for Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery e.V. (DGHNO KHC).
At the 88th Annual Meeting of the German Society for Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, the importance of a detailed anamnesis for dizziness will be a special focus. Only with the help of a correct diagnosis can the dizziness be treated purposefully, the experts emphasize. For medical history, however, the medical profession often lags behind in the day-to-day work, according to the association.
Dizziness is a common complaint, but with a correct diagnosis of the causes it is relatively easy to treat. (Image: pathdoc / fotolia.com) Dizziness is a common symptom
More than one in ten patients are looking for dizziness per year to a family doctor and in the over 70-year-olds complain every third on the corresponding complaints, the experts report. The over 80s are even affected every second. Dizziness affects especially older people in their quality of life and could lead to social withdrawal. The dizziness arises from contradictory information of the sensory organs involved in the system of equilibrium. As such, the equilibrium organ of the ear and the responsible neural pathways in the brain, the eyes, as well as the position sensors of the muscles, tendons and joints.
To detect dizziness in a wide variety of diseases
"Our balance depends heavily on the functioning of different body systems," explains Privatdozent Dr. med. med. Stefan Volkenstein, Senior Physician at the University Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery of the Ruhr University Bochum (RUB). In the press release on the occasion of the 88th Annual Meeting of the DGHNO KHC, the expert also explicitly points out that dizziness is not a disease of its own but a symptom of very different diseases. "These affect the body systems that are responsible for our balance," Dr. Volkenstein continues.
Therapy of dizziness an interdisciplinary challenge
As a possible cause of dizziness called the senior physician for ear, nose and throat, for example, diseases in the inner ear, the seat of the organ of equilibrium, disorders of the center of equilibrium in the brain, but also mental suffering. In addition, age-related cervical spurs that affect the vessels and nerves that play a role in balance can also cause dizziness. "Therapy of dizziness is therefore an interdisciplinary challenge," Dr. people Stein.
Dizziness in the elderly is a particular problem
According to the expert, most of the causative diseases are in the field of otolaryngology, neurology and internal medicine as well as general medicine. As varied as the causes are also the shapes and the duration of dizziness. Especially in the elderly, the dizziness and gait insecurity are far too often dismissed as a concomitant side effect of old age. Recently, a large cohort study in Germany identified dizziness as one of the factors that particularly affects the quality of life of older people. For example, dizziness prevents people from participating in social activities. Dizziness must, according to Dr. Volkenstein "therefore also be taken seriously and correctly diagnosed."
Central dizziness and postural vertigo
In the elderly, the causes of dizziness are often in sensory deficits such as jerky vision in the so-called bilateral vestibulopathy, a bilateral damage to the organ of balance, explains the physician. Also be distinguished between central dizziness and benign storage vertigo. In central dizziness, the origin of the disturbance of the sense of balance in the brain and possible triggers are, for example, tumors of the brainstem or multiple sclerosis. The cause of the so-called benign storage vertigo that occurs in changes in the head position, however, lies in misplaced crystals in the inner ear. However, the causes of the symptoms can sometimes not be determined so easily. The key to the right diagnosis lies here in all patients with dizziness symptoms in a detailed medical history by the doctor, emphasizes Dr. med. people Stein.
Which therapy options exist?
In a detailed conversation, the doctor must systematically clarify the nature, duration and appearance of the symptoms. Also be existing pre-existing conditions and possible side effects of drugs to be determined. Subsequently, a clinical suspected diagnosis will be made, which in many cases will be confirmed by ENT-medical and neurological examination methods and imaging procedures, explains the DGHNO KHC. "Properly diagnosed dizziness syndromes have a good prognosis and can often be treated with drugs or dizziness training for fall prevention," said Volkenstein. As a last option surgical treatment methods should also be mentioned, which, however, are only used when alternative therapies have been exhausted. (Fp)