A familiar sensation of feeling off balance all of a sudden is known as vertigo. An inner ear problem causes vertigo. A person’s sense of balance is controlled in the ear due to a liquid which stays level to indicate balance. When the liquid moves around, we lose our balance or rather sense of balance.
Before we try to understand the common causes of vertigo, it is more important to identify its symptoms and ascertain whether it is vertigo or plain dizziness. Often the two can get mixed up since both exhibit similar symptoms, but here are the symptoms of vertigo:
Vertigo is most often triggered due to changes in the position of your head. As mentioned earlier, a liquid in your ear needs to stay level which allows maintaining balance. Any sudden movement can cause the fluid to move around, which results in symptoms like spinning, tilting, swaying, a feeling that you might lose your balance any moment now.
Other symptoms of vertigo include feeling nauseated, vomiting, abnormal eye movements, headache, sweating, hearing loss or ringing in the ears. The symptoms will last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours, depending on its type and severity.
There are different types of vertigo, and their common causes, which is why understanding the types of vertigo will help us narrow down for the reasons. Causes are broadly differentiated into the categories of vertigo which is peripheral and central vertigo.
Peripheral vertigo
This type of vertigo is common which is mainly related to the balance mechanism in one’s ear. Most common causes of peripheral vertigo include:
BPPV: Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is one of the most common causes of vertigo which occurs while doing specific head movements like bending over or standing up, or even turning over in bed. This causes short but repeated attacks of vertigo which can last just for a few seconds or a few minutes. People may experience nausea during these attacks, but vomiting is not that common. Nystagmus is another sign which can be seen in patients whose vertigo is triggered due to BPPV.
Head injury: The brain is the epicenter of all our bodily function controls, and every single movement is controlled by the neurons which fire across communicating signals to and fro from the brain. Any head injury which might disrupt this intricate and fragile network of nerves and receptors can be one of the common causes of vertigo. The severity of the head injury will not make much of a difference, but medical attention should be sought at the earliest if vertigo symptoms start developing after such injuries.
Ear infection: Ear infection is another one of the common causes of vertigo. More commonly known as labyrinthitis, this infection causes inflammation deep inside the ear. The name is derived from the labyrinth which contains the fluids that control hearing and balance. The inflammation causes conflicting signals to be sent back and forth from the brain and ear which causes vertigo. Ear infection can be caused due to any viral or bacterial infection. Among the most noticeable symptoms of vertigo caused by labyrinthitis include nausea, vomiting, hearing loss, tinnitus among others.
Meniere’s disease: This a very rare condition which can also cause vertigo. Meniere’s disease symptoms can be quite similar to the symptoms caused due to a viral ear infection. However, the attacks of vertigo due to this condition are quite severe which can last for hours or even days. This is not one of the most common causes of vertigo, but a severe one owing to its symptoms.
Side effects
Side effects of certain medications can also be one of the common causes of vertigo.
Central vertigo: Central vertigo problems are caused due to problems in the cerebellum which is the lower part of the brain. Some of the common causes of vertigo include:
Migraines: Migraines are not your normal headaches, since this condition causes a throbbing headache on the front or side of your head, more common in younger people.
Multiple sclerosis: A more severe disease of the central nervous system for which there is no known cure. This condition has also known to cause vertigo. The brain and the spinal cord are the main areas which are affected due to this condition.
Acoustic neuroma: There are dedicated nerves which help control hearing and mainly your balance, but acoustic neuroma mainly refers to a tumor which grows on this nerve which causes central vertigo also. Since the balance control is lost due to this tumor, chances of vertigo are common.
Vertigo is a condition which should not be left untreated for a long time, and immediate medical attention should be sought when even the smallest of symptoms start showing up. There are some home remedies and prescription medications to tackle with some of these causes.
