Dizziness
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| Dizziness Classification and external resources | |
| ICD-10 | R42. |
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| ICD-9 | 780.4 |
| DiseasesDB | 17771 |
| eMedicine | neuro/693 |
| MeSH | C10.597.751.237 |
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Many different terms are often used to describe what is collectively known as dizziness. Common descriptions include words such as lightheaded, floating, whoozy, giddy, confused, helpless or fuzzy. Vertigo, Disequilibrium and Pre-syncope are the terms in use by most doctors. Dizziness is sometimes a symptom of a balance disorder.
Vertigo
The word "vertigo" comes from the Latin "vertere", to turn + the suffix "-igo", a condition = a condition of turning about.
Vertigo is a specific medical term used to describe the sensation of spinning or having the room spin about you. Most people find vertigo very disturbing and often report associated nausea and vomiting.
Otologic causes of vertigo
Typically if the vertigo arises from the inner ear, it is severe and has associated nausea and vomiting. One common cause of otologic vertigo is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo BPPV. Alternate causes of vertigo originating from the inner ear include Meniere's disease and labyrinthitis.
Central nervous system causes of vertigo:
If vertigo arises from the balance centers of the brain, it is typically more mild, and usually has accompanying neurologic deficits, such as slurred speech, double vision or nystagmus. Alternately, brain pathology can cause a sensation of disequilibrium which is an off-balance sensation.
Disequilibrium
Disequilibrium is the sensation of being off balance, and is most often characterized by frequent falls in a specific direction. This condition is not often associated with nausea or vomiting.
Pre-syncope
Pre-syncope is most often described as lightheaded or feeling faint. Syncope, by contrast, is actually fainting. Pre-syncope, or lightheadedness, does not result from primary central nervous system pathology. Nor does it originate in the inner ear. It is most often cardiovascular in etiology. In many patients, lightheadedness is a symptom of orthostatic hypotension. Orthostatic hypotension occurs when the blood pressure drops significantly when the patient stands from a supine or seated position. If loss of consciousness occurs in this situation, it is termed syncope.
External Links
- Citizendium on Dizziness
- Dizzytimes.com Online Community for Sufferers of Vertigo and Dizziness
See also
da:Svimmelhed de:Vertigofr:Vertige he:סחרחורת nl:Duizeligheid
Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content
Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .
