Don’t be careless if you have frequent dizziness! Learn the causes and solutions

Dizziness is a common symptom that many people experience. It can be a brief discomfort or a sign of a serious health problem. Understanding the causes of dizziness, how to diagnose it, and what to do about it is important to maintain your health.

1. Common causes of dizziness

1. Otogenic dizziness

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV): This is the most common cause of dizziness caused by the ear, commonly known as "otolith disease". Otoliths are calcium carbonate crystals on the utricle of the inner ear. When otoliths fall off for some reason and enter the semicircular canal, they will affect the inner ear's balance perception. When patients change their sitting or lying position, turn over in a lying position, or wake up from sleep, they will suddenly experience severe dizziness, which usually lasts no more than 1 minute.

Meniere's disease: The cause is not yet fully understood, but it may be related to the accumulation of water in the labyrinth of the inner ear membrane. The main symptoms are recurrent vertigo, accompanied by tinnitus, hearing loss, and a stuffy feeling in the ears. Vertigo attacks last from 20 minutes to several hours, and patients often feel dizzy during attacks, which may be accompanied by autonomic nervous system symptoms such as nausea and vomiting.

Vestibular neuritis: Usually caused by a viral infection, which damages the vestibular nerve. Patients will suddenly experience severe vertigo that can last for several days, accompanied by nausea and vomiting, but generally not accompanied by tinnitus and hearing loss.

(II) Brain-related dizziness

Cerebrovascular diseases: such as insufficient blood supply to the brain, cerebral infarction, cerebral hemorrhage, etc. Insufficient blood supply to the brain is mostly caused by arteriosclerosis, vascular stenosis, etc., which lead to reduced blood supply to the brain. Patients may experience symptoms such as dizziness, headache, and limb numbness. Cerebral infarction is caused by blockage of brain blood vessels and ischemia and necrosis of local brain tissue. In addition to dizziness, it may also be accompanied by symptoms such as slurred speech, limb weakness, and crooked mouth. Cerebral hemorrhage is caused by ruptured and bleeding of brain blood vessels, which causes increased intracranial pressure, leading to dizziness, headache, vomiting, and even coma.

Brain tumors: Tumors can compress surrounding brain tissue, affecting brain blood circulation and nerve function, causing dizziness. In addition, dizziness may also be accompanied by symptoms such as headache, decreased vision, vomiting, and epileptic seizures. Dizziness symptoms usually worsen progressively.

3. Cardiovascular dizziness

Hypertension: When blood pressure rises suddenly, the excessive pressure impacts the cerebral blood vessels, which can cause dizziness. Patients often experience symptoms such as headache, palpitations, and flushing. Long-term high blood pressure can also damage blood vessels, affect blood supply to the brain, and aggravate dizziness.

Hypotension: Low blood pressure can lead to insufficient brain perfusion and dizziness. This is common in people with weak constitutions, the elderly, or patients who have taken excessive amounts of certain antihypertensive drugs. When patients stand up suddenly, dizziness may worsen, and may also be accompanied by symptoms such as blacking out of the eyes and palpitations.

Arrhythmia: Abnormal heart rhythm, such as tachycardia, bradycardia or premature beats, can affect the heart's pumping function, leading to insufficient blood supply to the brain and causing dizziness. Patients may also experience palpitations, chest tightness and other discomforts.

(IV) Other reasons

Anemia: A decrease in the amount of red blood cells or hemoglobin in the blood leads to insufficient oxygen delivery and brain hypoxia, which causes dizziness. Patients often have symptoms such as pale complexion, fatigue, and palpitations. Anemia is often caused by malnutrition, menorrhagia, chronic diseases, etc.

Hypoglycemia: When blood sugar is too low, the brain lacks energy supply, which may cause dizziness, fatigue, hand tremors, palpitations, sweating, etc. This often occurs when the patient is fasting or when the diabetic patient does not eat in time after taking hypoglycemic drugs.

Mental and psychological factors: Long-term mental stress, anxiety, depression and other emotional problems can lead to neurological disorders and dizziness. This type of dizziness is usually accompanied by insomnia, dreaminess, memory loss, emotional instability and other symptoms. In addition, hyperventilation syndrome is also related to mental and psychological factors. Patients breathe excessively due to emotional excitement, resulting in excessive discharge of carbon dioxide in the body, causing respiratory alkalosis, dizziness, numbness of hands and feet, convulsions and other symptoms.

2. Diagnosis of dizziness

Detailed medical history collection: The doctor will ask about the specific symptoms of dizziness, such as the frequency of attacks, duration, triggering factors, and aggravating or alleviating factors. The doctor will also learn about the patient's past medical history, family medical history, medication status, etc. to preliminarily determine the possible cause of dizziness. For example, for patients with a family history of hypertension and poor blood pressure control in the recent period, dizziness may be related to hypertension; and for patients with a history of motion sickness, dizziness is more likely to be caused by ear.

Physical examination: includes a comprehensive physical examination, with a focus on the nervous system, cardiovascular system, and ears. Neurological examinations can assess the patient's limb strength, sensation, reflexes, etc. to determine whether there are any neurological diseases. Cardiovascular examinations mainly measure blood pressure, heart rate, heart rhythm, and auscultate the heart for murmurs, etc., to exclude cardiovascular diseases. Ear examinations include examinations of the external auditory canal and tympanic membrane, as well as vestibular function tests, such as electronystagmography, to determine whether there are any ear diseases.

Auxiliary examination: Based on the medical history and physical examination results, the doctor may arrange further auxiliary examinations. Common examination items include blood routine test to understand whether there is anemia; blood sugar test to exclude hypoglycemia or diabetes; blood lipid test to assess the risk of cardiovascular disease; head CT or MRI examination to check whether there are lesions in the brain, such as tumors, infarctions, hemorrhages, etc.; cervical spine X-ray or CT examination to exclude dizziness caused by cervical spondylosis; electrocardiogram and dynamic electrocardiogram monitoring to detect cardiac electrical activity and diagnose arrhythmias.

3. Countermeasures for dizziness

Treatment for the cause: After clarifying the cause of dizziness, it is key to treat the cause. If it is otolithiasis, the detached otoliths can be returned to their original positions through repositioning treatment to relieve dizziness symptoms. Patients with Meniere's disease can use medications to control vertigo attacks, such as antihistamines, anticholinergics, etc., while limiting salt intake and reducing water accumulation in the inner ear membranous labyrinth. For cerebrovascular diseases, take measures such as drug treatment and surgical treatment according to the specific situation to improve blood supply to the brain and prevent the disease from worsening. Patients with hypertension need to take antihypertensive drugs regularly to control blood pressure within the normal range; patients with hypotension need to find the cause, adjust their diet or take medication. Patients with anemia can correct anemia by supplementing nutrients such as iron and vitamin B12.

Lifestyle adjustments: Regardless of the cause of dizziness, a healthy lifestyle can help relieve symptoms and prevent dizziness. Get enough sleep. 7-8 hours of high-quality sleep every night can help restore physical strength and regulate nervous system function. Avoid sudden changes in body position, especially when standing up suddenly from a lying or sitting position. Get up slowly to prevent a sudden drop in blood pressure from causing dizziness. Moderate exercise, such as walking, jogging, yoga, etc., can enhance cardiovascular function and improve blood circulation. Quit smoking and limit alcohol consumption to reduce damage to blood vessels and the nervous system.

Psychological adjustment: Psychological adjustment is particularly important for patients with dizziness caused by psychological factors. Learn to cope with stress and relax your body and mind through meditation, deep breathing, listening to music, etc. Seek support from family and friends and share your inner feelings. If necessary, consult a psychologist for psychotherapy or drug treatment.

Dizziness is a complex symptom that may be caused by a variety of reasons. When dizziness occurs, you should seek medical attention in time for a comprehensive examination and diagnosis so that targeted treatment measures can be taken. At the same time, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and a good attitude are important for preventing and relieving dizziness.

References

[1] Jia Jianping, Chen Shengdi. Neurology[M]. 8th edition. Beijing: People's Medical Publishing House, 2018.

[2] Ge Junbo, Xu Yongjian, Wang Chen. Internal Medicine[M]. 9th edition. Beijing: People's Medical Publishing House, 2018.

[3] Kong Weijia, Zhou Liang. Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery[M]. 9th edition. Beijing: People's Medical Publishing House, 2018.