Vertigo resident survival guide
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Moises Romo M.D.
Synonyms and Keywords: BPPV, stroke, dizziness, Meniere-s syndrome
Overview
Vertigo (from the Latin vertigin-, vertigo, "dizziness," originally "a whirling or spinning movement," from vertere "to turn") is a specific type of dizziness, a major symptom of a balance disorder. It is the sensation of spinning or swaying while the body is actually stationary with respect to the surroundings. The effects of vertigo may be slight. It can cause nausea and vomiting and, in severe cases, it may give rise to difficulties with standing and walking.
Causes
Life Threatening Causes
Life-threatening causes include conditions that may result in death or permanent disability within 24 hours if left untreated.
Common Causes
- Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo
- Cerebellar stroke
- Meniere's disease
- Vertebrobasilar transient ischemic attack
- Vestibular migraine
- Vestibular neuritis
Diagnosis
Shown below is an algorithm summarizing the diagnosis of vertigo according to the American Academy of Neurology guidelines.
| Subjective sensation of movement of objects around us or of our own body, usually a spinning sensation. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| '''Vertigo''' | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Symptoms of nausea, vomiting, hearing loss, tinnitus, ear fullness, and otalgia + History of upper respiratory infection and/or drug ingestion | Symptoms of polyuria, polydipsia, weight gain, and hair loss + History of chronic disorders | Symptoms of neurologic deficit (slurred speech and diplopia) + History of head trauma and/or demyelinating disease | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Peripheral vertigo | Systemic vertigo | Central vertigo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Common •BPPV •Vestibular neuronitis •Meniere syndrome •Acute otitis media Uncommon •Ototoxic drugs •Perilymphatic fistula •Acoustic neuroma | •Diabetes •Hypothyroidism | Common •Cerebellar stroke •Vertebrobasilar insufficiency •Brainstem stroke •Migraine Uncommon •CNS infection •Multiple sclerosis | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Shown below is an algorithm summarizing the treatment of [[disease name]] according the the [...] guidelines.
Do's
- The content in this section is in bullet points.
Don'ts
- The content in this section is in bullet points.