Vertigo is a fictitious sensation, generally rotating, of displacement of the body or of objects located around it. It must be differentiated from dizziness, which consists of a feeling of insecurity and instability, something similar to drunkenness, while vertigo gives the patient an impression of movement or spinning, which can be temporary, last for hours or even days. In other words, it is an illusion of movement, either of oneself in the environment, or of the environment with respect to oneself.
Vertigo is associated with an alteration, either permanent or transitory, of balance.
It can occur at any age, although it predominates between 40 and 60 years of age and is more common in women. Vertigo is caused by receiving wrong messages or misinterpreting signals in the brain.
There are many reasons why vertigo occurs; currently up to 305 causes have been described. In many cases, vertigo is accompanied by nystagmus, which consists of an involuntary and spasmodic movement of the eyes, which can be horizontal, vertical or rotating, and can affect only one eye or both. It is a key piece of information when it comes to differentiating peripheral vertigo from central vertigo. Both can be expressed in a similar way, although some signs like this are differentiators.
Peripheral vertigo
- Anomalies and infections of the ear. It is usually the most common type of vertigo, with inflammation of the labyrinth of the inner ear or the vestibular nerve.
- Another very common type is called benign paroxysmal vertigo, where there would be small microcrystals in the inner ear fluid, manifesting in certain movements of the head or when lying down.
- There are also vertiginous symptoms that occur after head injuries, which may be due to damage to the structures of the labyrinth, or to bleeding in that location as a result of the blow.
- Some drugs can also cause vertigo due to direct toxicity to the structures of the inner ear.
Central vertigo
- In this group we must highlight tumors that are located in the posterior fossa of the brain, in the cerebellum, and that alter the balance system from this location.
Also those pathological events that affect this area such as cerebellar strokes or hemorrhages have said level.
- To alleviate the vertiginous symptomatology, it is recommended to use some drugs, always under the advice and control of the doctor. In cases that do not respond to the usual treatment, when the symptoms are severe and the patient’s daily life is limited, surgical treatment is used.
