Rs Neurology

If you feel dizzy, you might describe it as feeling woozy, lightheaded, faint or unsteady. Sometimes, you might feel vertigo, which is when your surroundings feel like they’re moving or spinning.

There are different kinds of dizziness you might feel, such as:

• Feeling woozy and faint
• Feeling giddy; like your surroundings are moving/spinning (vertigo)
• Feeling like you are floating
• Having issues balancing and coordinating

Often, dizziness will go away on its own, with plenty of rest and fluids. However, if the dizziness persists, it could be an indication of an underlying condition, such as a Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA), stroke, neuroinfection or brain tumour. This could also be the case if you are experiencing accompanying symptoms, double or blurred vision or headaches.

A stroke or mini-stroke (TIA) is likely to be the cause of your dizziness if you are older, or have known stroke risk factors like smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes or a family history of stroke or heart attacks. If you think these conditions might be the cause of your dizziness, call your doctor right away to be assessed.

Neuroinfections could also be the root cause of your dizziness. These occur when pathogens such as bacteria or viruses invade the nervous system through the bloodstream or peripheral nerves. Neuroinfections may result in significant long-term cognitive disabilities such as memory loss, physical disabilities such as blindness, speech or hearing loss, permanent nerve damage, or even death due to severe inflammation in the brain. Thus it is essential to seek urgent medical attention if you suspect that you may have a neuroinfection.

Brain tumours could also cause dizziness, if they are developing in the frontal lobe, brain stem or cerebellum.

Inner ear imbalance could also cause dizziness and symptomatic medication can give major relief here.