Seasonal allergy-related sinus congestion can lead to both dizziness and vertigo.īenign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). Noncancerous tumors the grow along the nerve connecting the brain and the ear.Īllergies. While often dismissed as an inner ear condition, many other conditions might lead to symptoms of vertigo including these:Īcoustic neuromas. There are many potential causes of vertigo. You should also seek immediate help if you are an older adult, have a history of stroke, or have high blood pressure, diabetes or smoke (risk factors for stroke). If you experience the following symptoms in combination with symptoms of vertigo, you should seek help right away: When you do, seek treatment for your symptoms of vertigo, make sure you discuss the frequency and duration of symptoms. You may even notice the some of the symptoms worsen whenever you move your head or change positions. Some may last seconds while others may last hours, days, or indefinitely. You may have dizziness as a result of a tympanic membrane perforation (ruptured eardrum), for example.įor this reason, it is always advisable to visit your Houston ear, nose, and throat doctor to find out what may be behind sensations of vertigo if you are someone you love is experiencing these types of symptoms. One thing that is important to note is that while vertigo is a condition in its own right, it can also be a symptom of other conditions. While vertigo may involve people feeling faint, the dizziness associated with it is more rotational (much like the merry-go-round or tilt-a-whirl sensations described above) in nature. You may have just one of these symptoms or many. Tinnitus may present as clicking, hissing, or whistling sounds as well. Seeing double and having difficulty speaking or swallowing. While every person suffering from vertigo is unique, there are some vertigo symptoms that are consistent among most people who have the condition.Īmong these consistencies are the following:įeeling like you’re being pulled in one direction. While there are times when the symptoms are worse than others, the symptoms may affect your ability to work and participate in normal life events. With this condition, the symptoms are typically brief and go away for a while before returning.

Some people experience intermittent or episodic vertigo. It’s not something that many people feel coming on. Signs of Vertigoįor many people, the first signs of vertigo involve a strong wave of nausea as the earth feels as though it is spinning right beneath their feet. It can also lead to secondary mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety. Persistent vertigo, or vertigo with symptoms that do not diminish over time, can impact the daily lives of people suffering from the condition. Instead, vertigo applies to temporary or persistent spells of dizziness often caused by problems in the inner ear or the brain. This sensation, while often described as the feeling one gets when looking down from great heights, is not the same thing as a fear of heights. It’s etomology ties back to the Latin word “vertere”, meaning “whirling” or “to turn”. Ultimately, vertigo is the name for a sensation of spinning and dizziness.

Adults who experience vertigo may experience this sensation for several hours or even days or weeks before it goes away. The difference, though, is that the childhood experience with vertigo diminishes rapidly and dissipates very quickly. To put it into perspective for those who have not suffered from vertigo in the past, it’s like standing on the ground after getting off a merry-go-round or an amusement park tilt-a-whirl that’s been spinning very fast. It’s like experiencing seasickness on dry land. People who suffer from vertigo may experience sensations that the world is rocking, rotating and spinning around them - even when they are standing perfectly still.

Causes of vertigo