Again we are going to refer to two terms that are used synonymously but have different connotations and causes. He dizziness refers to a situation in which the affected person feels dazed and will lose balance, while the Vertigo It is more specific and implies the sensation of a fictitious movement of things or oneself. In the next post we give you more details about the difference between vertigo and dizziness.
Dizziness, as we said, implies a wider range of sensations, among which we can even include vertigo (perception that things are spinning around us). Furthermore, another main difference is that dizziness is usually a one-time thing which disappears after a few minutes. The main causes that trigger this sensation include: lipothymiaa dehydration episode and even one voltage drop.
In the case of vertigo, although they can be sporadic and also punctual, they tend to be more recurrent. The main cause is the alteration of the vestibular systemlocated inside the inner ear, which coordinates the maintenance of balance, as well as our posture. and it can be momentary or last for hours or even days.
10% of consultations with the otorhinolaryngologist are precisely due to vertigo. Although this vestibular pathology can affect men and women, it is more common in women, especially between 30 and 50 years of age. And within the different types, we can differentiate between the peripheral vertigowhich is produced by injury to the labyrinth or inner earand the central vertigowhen the injury that causes it is in the Central Nervous System. There is also the cervical vertigocaused by a malposition of the neck vertebrae or another type of cervical disorder, and the benign paroxysmal positional vertigoa common disorder that causes brief episodes of vertigo, in response to changes in head position that stimulate the posterior semicircular canal of the inner ear.
Vertigo and ear diseases
Many ear diseases can cause vertigo at some point in their evolution, such as otitisa earwax wave otosclerosis. But there are other diseases of the inner ear in which vertigo is the fundamental symptom, such as Benign Paroxysmal Vertigo (BPPV)the Meniere’s disease and the Vestibular Neuronitis.
- Benign Paroxysmal Vertigo.
It occurs due to a change in position. They do not usually last long and almost always disappear when changing positions. Most experts agree that BPPV is the most common cause of vertigo. In fact, it represents 35% of vertigo of peripheral origin, a figure that, according to the doctor Juan Royospecialist doctor of the hearing health community Living the Soundrises up to 50% if people over 60 years of age are taken into account. - Ménière’s disease.
This chronic pathology of the inner ear is caused by an excess of endolymph, fluid that fills the cavities of the inner ear. It usually appears between the ages of 30 and 50 and manifests itself with three possible symptoms: hearing loss either hearing loss, tinnitus -ringing in the ear- and recurrent vertigowith a sensation of continuous spinning, nausea and vomiting. - Vestibular neuronitis.
The pre-main symptom is the so-called ‘rotary vertigo’, which is caused by a sudden dysfunction of the functions of the posterior labyrinth of the middle ear. Although its origin is unknown, the most accepted theory is that it is triggered by a viral infection.
