Dizziness is a feeling that a good number of people get from time to time. There are numerous causes for this condition with only a small proportion being serious. When experienced occasionally, you should not worry too much. The problem is when it is associated with other symptoms such as loss of consciousness, headache, visual blurring and hearing loss among others. Frequent episodes should also raise the red flag. There are a number of important things that you need to know as you seek dizziness treatment in Toronto.
Dizziness is different from vertigo. The latter is a feeling of spinning. The cause is damage to semicircular canals of the ear. The commonest form of vertigo is what is referred to as benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, BPPV. Affected persons will typically get dizzy when they change positions such as from a lying to a sitting or standing position.
Another commonly encountered cause is Meniere disease. This disease is caused by accumulation of fluid within the middle ear. This too compromises the function of semicircular canals. Causes of real dizziness include tumors (such as acoustic neuroma), a sudden drop in blood pressure, hypoglycemia, some drugs, motion sickness, heat stroke and dehydration.
The severity of the condition is equivalent to the number of episodes that are experienced. Having a diary at your side is important as it will help you record each event that takes place. At the same time, information about related signs and symptoms can be put down in writing. The diary will also come in handy when monitoring the response to treatment.
When you visit your doctor, they will embark on an exercise to establish the exact cause of your problem. A medical history will be required and this will be followed by a comprehensive physical. Issues that the doctor will want to know include the number of episodes that are experienced in a day or week, whether or not there is a relationship with body positioning and the presence or absence of related symptoms. Blood tests and radiological investigations such as the CT scan and MRI may help confirm the diagnosis.
Treatment modalities to be employed will depend on the cause. It should be noted, however, that in some cases, the cause is not found. Treatments that have been tried with variable success rates include lifestyle changes, home therapies and pharmacotherapy. When the cause is migraines, patients are advised to avoid trigger factors and to use reliever medications. Meniere disease, on the other hand, is managed by dietary modification and surgical intervention when this fails.
There is a high risk of dehydration, heat stroke and hypoglycemia among athletes. All these have been known to predispose to dizziness and fainting. To prevent this occurrence, the athletes will be well advised to have a bottle of water with them and glucose at all times. The same goes for persons that engage in strenuous physical activities especially in environments where the ambient temperatures are significantly high.
Dizziness is a common feeling. It is on most occasion harmless. However, when it is seen to persist for periods of time or when consistently associated with other medical conditions, medical consultation is indicated. The treatment of the condition continues to challenge many clinicians due to the vague nature of the symptom with many patients having different interpretations. Proper evaluation may help narrow down the possibilities.
Dizziness is different from vertigo. The latter is a feeling of spinning. The cause is damage to semicircular canals of the ear. The commonest form of vertigo is what is referred to as benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, BPPV. Affected persons will typically get dizzy when they change positions such as from a lying to a sitting or standing position.
Another commonly encountered cause is Meniere disease. This disease is caused by accumulation of fluid within the middle ear. This too compromises the function of semicircular canals. Causes of real dizziness include tumors (such as acoustic neuroma), a sudden drop in blood pressure, hypoglycemia, some drugs, motion sickness, heat stroke and dehydration.
The severity of the condition is equivalent to the number of episodes that are experienced. Having a diary at your side is important as it will help you record each event that takes place. At the same time, information about related signs and symptoms can be put down in writing. The diary will also come in handy when monitoring the response to treatment.
When you visit your doctor, they will embark on an exercise to establish the exact cause of your problem. A medical history will be required and this will be followed by a comprehensive physical. Issues that the doctor will want to know include the number of episodes that are experienced in a day or week, whether or not there is a relationship with body positioning and the presence or absence of related symptoms. Blood tests and radiological investigations such as the CT scan and MRI may help confirm the diagnosis.
Treatment modalities to be employed will depend on the cause. It should be noted, however, that in some cases, the cause is not found. Treatments that have been tried with variable success rates include lifestyle changes, home therapies and pharmacotherapy. When the cause is migraines, patients are advised to avoid trigger factors and to use reliever medications. Meniere disease, on the other hand, is managed by dietary modification and surgical intervention when this fails.
There is a high risk of dehydration, heat stroke and hypoglycemia among athletes. All these have been known to predispose to dizziness and fainting. To prevent this occurrence, the athletes will be well advised to have a bottle of water with them and glucose at all times. The same goes for persons that engage in strenuous physical activities especially in environments where the ambient temperatures are significantly high.
Dizziness is a common feeling. It is on most occasion harmless. However, when it is seen to persist for periods of time or when consistently associated with other medical conditions, medical consultation is indicated. The treatment of the condition continues to challenge many clinicians due to the vague nature of the symptom with many patients having different interpretations. Proper evaluation may help narrow down the possibilities.
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