Vertigo Causes, Types, and Treatment in Hyderabad

Vertigo is a condition in which you feel as if you are moving, but actually, you are not.  You may also feel as if the objects around you are moving, but they, too, are not. This is one of the common problems a person may have – in fact, the most common one.

Though you hold fast to your place perfectly still, you may have a sense of your surroundings rotating, rocking, or spinning. Some people call it dizziness, which may give a sense of light-headedness, balance problems, and walking difficulty. Which means both terms are used interchangeably by many people. For medical experts and ENT specialists, vertigo is a specific problem or condition associated with the balance centre of the inner ear and brain.

Vertigo is not the same as light-headedness, but it can give you a feeling similar to motion sickness. Let us understand the vertigo causes.

Vertigo Causes

Labyrinthitis

Bacterial and cold virus infections cause inflammation, swelling, and disturbance of fluid-filled channels. These are seated deep inside your ear and help in hearing and equilibrium. This complex system of interconnecting cavities is known as the labyrinth. It helps in keeping balance, but the disturbance results in vertigo. The other symptoms may include fever, vomiting, hearing loss, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), and vertigo. Doctors in Hyderabad (ENT specialists) treat bacterial infections by prescribing antibiotics.

Vestibular Neuronitis

Mostly, a viral infection causes vestibular neuronitis. It affects the vestibular nerve that connects the inner ear to the brain. Inflammation and swelling of the nerve cause vertigo, stomach upset, dizziness, and unsteadiness. The condition may last for a few hours, days, or weeks. The symptoms associated with this condition can vanish on their own, but may sometimes persist. If symptoms persist, ENT specialists initiate treatment.

Meniere’s Disease

It is a rare condition of the internal ear associated with a feeling of pressure in the ear. The other associated symptoms may include dizziness, ringing in the ear, and progressive hearing loss in one ear. Along with vertigo that may last for a few minutes to hours, the affected person may also experience nausea and vomiting. Though it is a very rare condition, a bit serious too. The management of this condition involves apt treatment, balance exercises (vertigo exercises), and proper diet plans.

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) is an internal ear condition that can make you feel dizzy and nauseated. You may also have rhythmic, involuntary back-and-forth eye movements. Your head spins, and you feel dizzy when you stand up and turn. This condition can last for a few seconds to a few minutes, and then stops on its own. Tiny crystals of calcium carbonate (otoconia) turn loose and get displaced from their normal position in the internal ear and move to other areas. Owing to this, you may have a feeling of your head moving or rotating. Sometimes, the crystals clump together, become heavy, and sink to the lower part of the inner ear, giving a sensation of dizziness. This will also happen when the clump slushes fluid in the inner ear when you stop moving – creating a sensation that you are still moving even though you have stopped moving.

You may have BPPV when you suddenly get in and out of bed, bend over, roll your head, or do quick head movements.

Vertigo treatment in Hyderabad: Your Ent surgeon treats your condition by suggesting some exercises, coordinated and deliberate movements, and also medicines as well.

Perilymphatic Fistula (PLF)

A blow to the head, injury, or trauma causes disturbance in the tissue that separates the air-filled middle ear and the fluid-filled inner ear. The person who experienced this feels off-balance, has ringing in the ears, pressure, fullness, and becomes sensitive to loud noises. The other symptoms associated with Perilymphatic, or labyrinthine, fistula may include fullness, vertigo, disequilibrium, and hearing loss. The severity and complexity of the symptoms vary from person to person. Symptoms can become severe during flight due to changes in air pressure. An ENT specialist recommends bed rest and medical management if necessary. In some cases, surgery may be required if the condition persists for longer than a few months.

The Other Causes of Vertigo

Some people may have vertigo due to certain medicines. A wide range of medicines can also cause vertigo. Doctors list antibiotics, antidepressants, antipsychotic medicines, blood pressure medicines, anticonvulsant medicines and anti-inflammatory medicines as vertigo triggers. If you get vertigo after taking medicines, then immediately call an ENT specialist and seek medical help and stop taking that medicine further.

Vertigo Types

There are broadly two types of vertigo – peripheral vertigo (associated with the inner ear and vestibular nerve – almost 90% of the cases fall under this category) and the other is central vertigo (may arise in the brain or spinal cord – associated with the cerebellum of the brain). An ENT specialist treats peripheral vertigo, and a neurologist treats central vertigo. Sometimes, migraine, brain injury, brain stroke, neck injury, and brain tumours can also cause dizziness or vertigo. These are some of the more serious conditions. Vertigo due to any of these conditions requires a detailed assessment by experts

Vertigo Treatment in Hyderabad

The treatment plan for BPPV involves medicines and certain manoeuvres for loosening calcium crystals and clearing them from the ear canal. For an acute vertigo attack, doctors give antiemetic medication, suggest bed rest, and investigate vertebrobasilar artery (VBA) lesions. And, for acute peripheral vestibulopathy (VBAs), bed rest is recommended. Diuretic medications, antiemetic medications, VBAs, and bed rest are advised for patients with Meniere’s disease.

To treat vertigo caused by infection, doctors prescribe antibiotics and steroids to cure the infection and reduce inflammation and swelling. In a few cases, surgery may be recommended.

There is no one-size-fits-all treatment for vertigo disorder. The diagnosis of vertigo is crucial. Problems related to balance and dizziness require immediate attention to maintain a quality of life and keep the patient safe. Dr. Neetu Modgil provides the best vertigo treatment in Hyderabad. She has more than 15+ years of experience in treating vertigo. She has treated hundreds of acute and chronic vertigo cases quite successfully. The ENT department at Rose Hospitals provides you with the most advanced testing facility for the diagnosis of the underlying causes of vertigo.