Word “Vertigo“does not mean the same for everyone. For doctors, the sensation of seeing bright spots or having wobbly legs is not dizziness, but a dizzying sensation. It may be linked to a small sensation. pressure drop, to one transient hypoglycemia (low blood sugar level) or a vagal discomfort (brief fainting). True dizziness is accompanied by rotation and instability. “Patients say their environment is spinning and they feel like they are in the drum of a washing machine. They lose their balance and stagger when walking, as if they are intoxicated.” , says Dr Laurence Aillagon-Bourguet, ENT specialist in vertigo. Involved in the majority of cases: a inner ear disorder, where the organ of balance is located.
Signs that should worry
- It is necessary to consult urgently if the vertigo is accompanied by other symptoms …
- The person can no longer stand and control their limbs.
- She feels violent headache while she is not prone to migraines.
- She sees double, she has difficulty speaking.
- It also presents factors of cardiovascular risk.
- It can then be a more serious illness: stroke, neuroma (tumor of the vestibular nerve). Often with other signs: tingling, sensitivity disorders, paralysis of part of the face …
Find out in this article causes of dizziness.
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo during a change of position
The seizure lasts less than a minute and occurs in a given position, for example after lying down. The sensation of rotation, brief but very intense, ceases when the person stands up. We often talk about “ear calculus”. Indeed, this dizziness is due to a dysfunction of the otoliths, calcium carbonate mini crystals of the inner ear, whose movements inform the nerve centers of the movements of the body.
The solution : Diagnosis and treatment are very simple, but spectacular. The patient is seated on the examination table or bench and quickly tilted to the supine position on the side that triggers the vertigo. Then, immediately after, we switch him back to the other side without changing the position of his head. This liberation maneuver makes it possible to put the otoliths back in place, which gradually suppresses the seizures.
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The vertigo lasts several days: it is a vestibular neuritis
Vestibular neuritis is inflammation of the vestibular nerve, which connects the inner ear to nerve centers. There are two possible causes: one viral in case of infection (flu Where herpes); the other vascular, in the event of a sharp increase in blood pressure. This inflammation causes a single large attack of vertigo, which keeps the person in bed for several days or even weeks, and is accompanied by nausea and of vomiting.
The solution : The vertigo gradually subsides, but it is important to make the diagnosis as soon as possible in order to be able to treat it, most often by corticosteroidsduring many days.
The doctor prescribes antivertigin drugs (Tanganil®, Agyrax®) and anti-mosquitoes (Motilium®, Primpéran®) to reduce symptoms. “For the patient, the fact of being able to get up and resume his active life promotes recovery and shortens the crisis”, specifies the specialist.
Ringing in the ears? It’s Ménière’s disease
Ménière’s disease causes repeated attacks of intense dizziness, which can last for several hours. Just before, the person presents a hearing loss transient with the sensation of having the ear full and tinnitus (ringing or ringing in the ears), often on one side only. The disease is due to increased pressure in the labyrinth (inner ear), the cause of which remains unknown. However, it can be favored by psychological factors: stressanxiety overwork…
The solution : “This disease is sometimes very difficult to treat, underlines Dr. Aillagon-Bourguet. intense work stress can trigger a new crisis. “This is why it is advisable to learn to manage stress through sports (swimming, yoga, Pilates… ), from relaxation techniques (sophrologybreathing meditation…) or the psychotherapy.
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After taking medication: rather instability
All treatments that act on the nervous system, such as those of headache, of the depression, of the schizophrenia or even the beta-blockers prescribed to cardiac patients may give a feeling of instability. “But a great vertigo that turns caused only by a drug, I have never seen, assures the specialist. On the other hand, I have had patients who suffered both from migraine and intense dizziness. Once the migraine was well managed with a background treatment, the dizziness has regressed. ” In the elderly, drugs are not the only cause. As aging affects the nerve centers, they are more prone to instability, that feeling of wobbly legs and staggering gait.
The solution :Rehabilitation to avoid the falls is often possible. But there is no point in prescribing antivertiginous drugs (read our topic: where do dizziness come from?).
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