Dizziness

Everything spins – and not just after one too many glasses of alcohol or a ride on the merry-go-round. Dizziness that starts suddenly, occurs repeatedly or has no obvious cause can be a warning sign that something in the body’s balance system is not functioning properly. At our private ENT practice in Berlin, we regularly examine and treat patients with different forms of dizziness.

Dizziness: What types are there?

Spinning dizziness

Patients have the feeling that everything around them is spinning.

Swaying dizziness

Those affected feel as though they are swaying while standing or that their surroundings are moving back and forth.

Lift-like dizziness

Some patients describe a sensation of being pulled upwards or downwards, similar to travelling in a lift.

Dizziness at height

In this case, dizziness occurs when the person is at a height.

Tendency to fall

Patients may feel as though they are about to fall forwards or to one side.

Light-headedness

Some people feel light-headed, unsteady or generally groggy. Possible causes include fluctuations in blood sugar, visual problems or certain medications.

Motion sickness

Some people experience dizziness or nausea when travelling by car, bus, plane or ship.

Dizziness can also be classified according to duration and possible cause

Brief attacks of spinning dizziness

These attacks occur suddenly and may last only a few seconds or several minutes. One possible cause is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV).

Sudden attacks of dizziness

Possible causes include Menière’s disease, inflammation of the inner or middle ear, vestibular migraine or circulatory disorders.

Dizziness associated with faintness

A sudden drop in blood pressure may be responsible.

Persistent rotary vertigo

If spinning dizziness begins suddenly and lasts for days or weeks, a disturbance or loss of function of the vestibular organ on one side may be responsible.

Dizziness: When should you see a doctor?

You should seek medical advice if severe dizziness occurs repeatedly without an obvious cause, if symptoms are triggered by movements of the head or if dizziness and balance problems persist. Medical assessment is also advisable if dizziness is accompanied by symptoms such as headache, nausea, vomiting, ringing in the ears, changes in hearing, fever or shortness of breath.

Diagnosis of dizziness

The first step is a detailed medical history. This is followed by an ENT examination and, depending on the findings, specialised hearing and vestibular diagnostics.

Treating dizziness

Treatment depends on the underlying cause. Depending on the diagnosis, medication, vestibular exercises, physiotherapy or other specialised forms of therapy may be appropriate.