Today, I am taking break from updates on Corona virus. Politically nothing of importance is happening in the country which can be mentioned in my blog. So today I am straightway coming to health topic.
VERTIGO is problem with balance, which can occur to people at any age, and more so, as we age. This is more common in the aged people above 65 years, and in that, more in old women. As people age, there are chances of balance related issue, and when certain conditions occur, it can result in vertigo. It is said that Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) causes 50% of dizziness in seniors as compared to about 20% of all other ages.
Dizziness related to BPPV is said to occur due to debris collected in inner year. This can be provoked by movements of the head like turning over on the bed or any movements against the gravity. The underlying causes of vertigo can be issues with the inner year, brain, or sensory nerve pathway. However, this word has been wrongly understood as fear of heights, as for many head starts spinning when they look down from height.
Symptoms
One of the most common and noticeable signs of vertigo happens to be spinning of head or whole surroundings, and it can be terrifying. People even fall when this happens, as they can not maintain balance. Hence it is essential to lie down immediately and not try getting up or going around. One may also fee; motion sickness or nausea, accompanied by vomiting. One could also feel some ringing sensation in the ears continuously, and feel light headed or heaviness in the head, can also get headaches. One may not get all the symptoms, and above symptoms do not need to be clear indication of vertigo. However, if any of these symptoms persist, please consult a doctor immediately, so that necessary diagnosis can be made and treatment can be started.
Treatment
Sometimes, it is not vertigo, but the underlying cause that may need to treated. The doctor, if necessary may prescribe certain tests to diagnose the cause, like if there are issue with the inner year, infections etc. Some vertigo attacks are very temporary, and will fade away without any treatment. Some may need treatment for the symptoms if no other underlying cause is noticed. Vertigo may also be due to migraines, head injuries, ear surgery, otosclerosis or even certain medications. Otosclerosis is a condition linked with three small bones that connect to ear drum to help amplify sound waves. When someone has this condition, one of the bones is unable to vibrate freely. This is why a doctor must be consulted to rule out any possible underlying causes. Apart from a physical examination, and understanding the patient and family history, an MRI or CT scan of the head may be done, if required.
Depending on the reason the doctor will start the treatment, and most often, the vertigo will settle down in few days. The doctor may change the dosage of the tablets if prescribed, if the condition improves. Usually , a course of one week is prescribed. Sometimes no pills are prescribed and the patient is asked to do some exercises.
Epley maneuver and Brandt -Daroff exercises are two such exercises that may be prescribed. These can be done to get permanent relief from vertigo. One may get the full details of these exercise, by searching for them on Google. These exercises involves following certain step by step processes that are aimed at breaking up the crystals in the inner year, or moving particles to the vestibule of the inner years, as the case maybe.
The vertigo patient should be careful not to make any sudden movements, or look up, or get up suddenly etc. foods like Ginger tea, almonds, staying hydrated with lots of fluids etc help keep vertigo at bay. However, even after a week, if vertigo is not settling down, please consult the doctor again.
Friends, I hope the above information is useful for you all.
Waiting for your views/feed backs/comments.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
28th July 2019.
R. N. Mungale.
Information about vertigo is very useful.