|
|
|
|
Deccan Herald » Living » Detailed Story
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
When the world starts going around
|
|
A well managed diet, regular exercise and positive attitude could relieve you of recurring giddiness, writes Dr M Ravi.
|
|
|
Disorders of balance is a common complaint. Known as giddiness or vertigo. When giddi one feels the world spinning around or that of head spinning while the surroundings are still. The head spinning around is a common symptom of disorder of either the central nervous system or the vestibular system (balance organ in the ear).
The brain receives signals from the eyes, the ears and the joints (proprioception - the signals that tell the brain about the position of individual joints in space). These signals are integrated by the brain to give us a sense of balance.When there is a disorder in one or more of this complex system vertigo results.
Management of these symptoms require careful evaluation in order to arrive at the correct diagnosis. Giddiness may be transient lasting a few minutes or several hours or for several days. Giddiness arising from the vestibular system may be accompanied by hearing loss, noises in the ear, nausea and vomiting and pain and discharge from the infected ear.
Causes
The common causes of giddiness seen are BPPV (Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo). Vestibular neuronitis and Meniere’s disease. Other causes include injuries, trauma due to changes in pressure as in diving or rapid assent and fistula of the inner ear. Giddiness also occurs due to migraine, strokes, tumours, multiple sclerosis and other rare hereditary conditions.
Treatment
In treatment of the giddiness it is therefore important to establish clearly the diagnosis. The first step is to distinguish between giddiness of a central origin and the one due to the vestibular system. Disorders of central origin are best treated by neurologists.
In treatment of disorders of vestibular origin the aim during the acute phase is to relieve the patient of the symptoms as quickly as is possible. Some of the causes of the giddiness (e.g. Meniere’s disease) can go on for several years and it is important to counsel the patient and help him or her to recognise the early warning signs and initiate the treatment under the supervision of a doctor. Some of the medications used may have to be taken for a long time.Diet plays a major role in triggering giddiness. Fatty foods contribute to the onset of giddiness. There are several exercises that help the patient recover quickly. Some forms of giddiness are permanent such as cases where both vestibular systems are damaged. A positive attitude will make a difference to the general improvement.
The writer works with Mallya Hospital, Bangalore
|
|
|
|
Friday, September 9, 2005
