Dizziness

Everything spins – and not just after one too many glasses of alcohol or a ride on the merry-go-round. A feeling of dizziness that starts suddenly and for no apparent reason, accumulates and worries the patient is an alarm signal from the brain. Dizziness can be an indication that something is wrong in the body. In our ENT practice in Berlin Charlottenburg, we regularly treat patients with a wide variety of dizziness.

Dizziness: What types are there?

Affected individuals describe their dizziness or vertigo differently. Therefore, vertigo can be divided into different types and categories:

Spinning dizziness
Patients have the feeling that everything around them is spinning.

Swaying dizziness
Sufferers have the feeling that they are swaying while standing – or that their surroundings are moving back and forth.

Elevator dizziness
People who suffer from this vertigo think they are being pulled up or down as if in an elevator.

Altitude dizziness
In this case, the dizziness occurs when sufferers are at a height.

Falling tendency
Patients feel as if they are about to fall over forward or to the side.

Dizzy vertigo
Affected patients feel dizzy and groggy due to the dizziness; often occurs with hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia, with eye problems, and as a result of medication.

Motion sickness
Some people often become dizzy while traveling by bus, plane, or ship.

Dizziness can be classified according to duration and causes:

Spinning dizziness or vertigo attacks.
In these, the dizziness comes on suddenly and without notice. It can last for a few seconds, but also for hours. Often the dizziness then disappears. These attacks often occur when sufferers change their head position and may be associated with certain movements. Possible causes of these vertigo attacks are ear stones that are deposited in the arcades of the inner ear and cause irritation there (positional vertigo). Furthermore, the complaints can also result from a dysfunction of the vestibular organ as well as the vestibular nerves on both sides of the head.

Sudden onset, seizure-like attacks of dizziness with spinning or staggering vertigo
The attacks usually occur spontaneously and last for seconds, minutes or even hours. Causes may include Meniere’s disease, inflammation of the inner or middle ear, vertigo migraine, or certain vascular changes near the brainstem that affect the vestibular and auditory nerves. Circulatory problems or calcification of vessels can also cause these dizziness symptoms. Caution: this type of dizziness can also occur before a stroke! Seek medical attention immediately if paralysis, muscle weakness and numbness are added to the symptoms.

Spinning dizziness in connection with fainting dizziness
A sudden drop in blood pressure may be responsible for this. This form of vertigo is more common in girls and boys during puberty. Nerve disorders or Parkinson’s disease are also often accompanied by these dizziness symptoms.

Rotary vertigo as permanent dizziness
If the vertigo starts acutely and then lasts for days to weeks or even longer, sometimes stronger, sometimes weaker, a failure of the vestibular organ on one side may be to blame. In some cases, permanent spinning dizziness is also the result of a middle ear infection or occurs in the case of an acute inner ear infection. Injuries to the base of the skull or the so-called Baro trauma, which can occur during diving or due to changes in air pressure when an airplane is landing, can cause damage to the ear area and thus also dizziness. In addition, damage to the cervical spine can have an unfavorable effect on blood vessels and nerve pathways, causing the environment to seem to spin.

Dizziness: When to see a doctor?

In general, when a person feels dizzy, there is not always a serious illness or disorder in the body. Even healthy people feel dizzy from time to time. Reasons for this can be lack of sleep or low blood pressure. Also, if too little is drunk, this often manifests itself through dizziness. New or incorrectly adjusted glasses can also cause dizziness temporarily. However, you should see a doctor if severe dizziness occurs again for no apparent reason, if you feel dizzy when moving your head, or if dizziness and balance problems persist for a long time. You should also seek medical attention for dizziness that occurs with other symptoms such as headache, nausea, vomiting, ringing in the ears, fever or shortness of breath.

Treating Dizziness

Treatment for vertigo depends on the condition. In some cases, medications against the vertigo are used (antivertiginosa). Furthermore, circulatory stimulants, cortisone or, in the case of inflammation, antibiotics may also be used.

Some types of vertigo can be improved by specific exercises or with selected positioning maneuvers or balance training.

Dizziness: More information

More information about dizziness and dizziness therapy as well as TV interviews (RBB) of Dr. Kathrin Ernst can be found on our service page vertigo.

Dizziness: make an appointment

Make an appointment with Dr. med. Kathrin Ernst (specialist for ear, nose and throat medicine) for therapy of dizziness in Berlin.

Appointments by telephone arrangement, also outside our consultation hours: 030.310 138 40

Consultation hours