Dizziness
Dizziness is a phrase that expresses various feelings, including faintness, wooziness, weakness, or unsteadiness. Vertigo is a form of dizziness that gives the false impression that you or your surroundings are spinning or moving.
One of the more frequent medical visits made by people is for dizziness. Dizziness that occurs frequently or constantly might harm your life. However, feeling faint seldom indicates a condition that could be fatal.
Symptoms of dizziness
Sings are a variety of different experiences, such as the following:
- A fictitious feeling of motion or spinning
- A sense of faintness or dizziness
- Being unsteady or off-balance
- A sensation of weightlessness, wooziness, or floating
You might feel sick, and your dizziness could come on suddenly or be so strong that you need to sit or lie down. The event could last just a few seconds or for several days.
Causes of dizziness
There are numerous potential reasons for dizziness, such as inner ear disturbances, motion sickness, and drug interactions. It can indicate an underlying medical condition, such as poor circulation, an infection, or an injury.
Following are some underlying causes of dizziness:
- Inner ear problems
- Circulation problems leading to low and high blood pressure
- Neurological problems
- Medication
- Anxiety disorders
- Anemia
- Hypoglycemia
- Dehydration
Risk and complication
Your chance of experiencing dizziness may be affected by the following factors:
- Age. Medical problems that induce dizziness, especially a feeling of imbalance, are more common in older persons. Additionally, they are more likely to take drugs that can make them queasy
- An earlier experience of vertigo. You are more likely to encounter dizziness in the future if you have already experienced it
Dizziness can augment your risk of tumbling and injuring yourself. Undergoing dizziness while driving a car or operating earth machinery can increase the probability of an accident. You may also experience long-term effects if existing dizziness goes untreated.
When to consult a doctor?
Seek your doctor if you are experiencing sudden, extreme, or prolonged unexplained dizziness or vertigo.
Get emergency aid if you experience new, severe dizziness along with any of the following:
- Severe headache that arises suddenly
- Chest discomfort
- Shortness of breath
- Numbness or paralysis of arms or legs
- Fainting
- Fast or irregular heartbeat
Reviewed by – Dr. Priyanka, MBBS MD Microbiology
Page last reviewed: 16 JULY 2022