Dizziness is a common feeling that many of us face from time to time. On most occasions there is nothing much to worry about. In a few cases, however, it may be an indicator of serious underlying conditions that require urgent medical attention. This should be suspected when there are other associated symptoms such as headache, loss of consciousness, hearing loss and visual blurring among others. There are some important things on dizziness treatment in Toronto when seeking the service.
Differentiating dizziness from vertigo is important. While the former is a feeling of lightheadedness, the latter refers to a sense of spinning environment. Vertigo is caused by a problem affecting the semicircular canals of the ear. One of the forms of this condition is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (also known as BPPV). Symptoms are usually experienced when one changes their body 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.
Severity is assessed by keeping track of the episodes. You can achieve this by getting yourself a diary to record every the attacks. Apart from giving an insight about the frequency, such information will also be used to study related symptoms. After treatment has been initiated, response to therapy will be easy to monitor.
With such a long list of causes, there is a need for proper evaluation by the doctor to establish what exactly is happening. The doctor will take a detailed medical history and perform a physical to come up with probable causes. Some of the issues that will be addressed in the history include frequency of episodes, their severity and whether or not there are related signs and symptoms. The next thing to have some blood tests and possibly radiological images such as the CT scan and MRI.
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.
Athletes are at a high risk of suffering from heat stroke, dehydration and hypoglycemia. All these are established causes of dizziness. Such athletes need to be well prepared with water and a source of glucose whenever they go out to train or to compete. The same risk exists in persons that engage in strenuous physical activities particularly in areas with high ambient temperatures.
Dizziness is on most occasions harmless. Its treatment is not easy because of the numerous causes and the fact that it means different things to different people. Many cases subside with time even without treatment. When it is associated with other symptoms and when it persists for long periods of time, you need to seek medical intervention for proper evaluation.
Differentiating dizziness from vertigo is important. While the former is a feeling of lightheadedness, the latter refers to a sense of spinning environment. Vertigo is caused by a problem affecting the semicircular canals of the ear. One of the forms of this condition is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (also known as BPPV). Symptoms are usually experienced when one changes their body 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.
Severity is assessed by keeping track of the episodes. You can achieve this by getting yourself a diary to record every the attacks. Apart from giving an insight about the frequency, such information will also be used to study related symptoms. After treatment has been initiated, response to therapy will be easy to monitor.
With such a long list of causes, there is a need for proper evaluation by the doctor to establish what exactly is happening. The doctor will take a detailed medical history and perform a physical to come up with probable causes. Some of the issues that will be addressed in the history include frequency of episodes, their severity and whether or not there are related signs and symptoms. The next thing to have some blood tests and possibly radiological images such as the CT scan and MRI.
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.
Athletes are at a high risk of suffering from heat stroke, dehydration and hypoglycemia. All these are established causes of dizziness. Such athletes need to be well prepared with water and a source of glucose whenever they go out to train or to compete. The same risk exists in persons that engage in strenuous physical activities particularly in areas with high ambient temperatures.
Dizziness is on most occasions harmless. Its treatment is not easy because of the numerous causes and the fact that it means different things to different people. Many cases subside with time even without treatment. When it is associated with other symptoms and when it persists for long periods of time, you need to seek medical intervention for proper evaluation.
No comments:
Post a Comment