Dizziness is a common feeling that many of us face from time to time. On most occasions there is nothing much to worry about. In a few cases, however, it may be an indicator of serious underlying conditions that require urgent medical attention. This should be suspected when there are other associated symptoms such as headache, loss of consciousness, hearing loss and visual blurring among others. There are some important things on dizziness treatment in Toronto when seeking the service.
Differentiating dizziness from vertigo is important. While the former is a feeling of lightheadedness, the latter refers to a sense of spinning environment. Vertigo is caused by a problem affecting the semicircular canals of the ear. One of the forms of this condition is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (also known as BPPV). Symptoms are usually experienced when one changes their body position.
Another common cause is what is referred to as Meniere disease. This disease interferes with the function of semicircular canals by causing fluid accumulation. The causes of real dizziness include, among others, tumors, migraines, abrupt changes in blood pressure, hypoglycemia, dehydration, heat stroke and motion sickness. The severity will depend on the exact cause.
The severity of the condition is equivalent to the number of episodes that are experienced. Having a diary at your side is important as it will help you record each event that takes place. At the same time, information about related signs and symptoms can be put down in writing. The diary will also come in handy when monitoring the response to treatment.
With such a long list of causes, there is a need for proper evaluation by the doctor to establish what exactly is happening. The doctor will take a detailed medical history and perform a physical to come up with probable causes. Some of the issues that will be addressed in the history include frequency of episodes, their severity and whether or not there are related signs and symptoms. The next thing to have some blood tests and possibly radiological images such as the CT scan and MRI.
Treatment modalities to be employed will depend on the cause. It should be noted, however, that in some cases, the cause is not found. Treatments that have been tried with variable success rates include lifestyle changes, home therapies and pharmacotherapy. When the cause is migraines, patients are advised to avoid trigger factors and to use reliever medications. Meniere disease, on the other hand, is managed by dietary modification and surgical intervention when this fails.
Athletes and persons engaged in strenuous physical activities are prone to heat stroke, dehydration and hypoglycemia. If these are not properly controlled, dizziness and fainting may ensure. For this reason, they are advised to always have a bottle of water available to keep themselves hydrated at all times. Glucose and energy drinks will help maintain the blood sugar levels within normal limits.
Dizziness is a symptom that is fairly common and each one of use may have experienced it at one point in time. There usually no cause for worry in most cases. Worry should set in if there is recurrence and association with other symptoms. Due to its vague nature many people confuse many other things for dizziness and this makes diagnosis and treatment a big challenge.
Differentiating dizziness from vertigo is important. While the former is a feeling of lightheadedness, the latter refers to a sense of spinning environment. Vertigo is caused by a problem affecting the semicircular canals of the ear. One of the forms of this condition is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (also known as BPPV). Symptoms are usually experienced when one changes their body position.
Another common cause is what is referred to as Meniere disease. This disease interferes with the function of semicircular canals by causing fluid accumulation. The causes of real dizziness include, among others, tumors, migraines, abrupt changes in blood pressure, hypoglycemia, dehydration, heat stroke and motion sickness. The severity will depend on the exact cause.
The severity of the condition is equivalent to the number of episodes that are experienced. Having a diary at your side is important as it will help you record each event that takes place. At the same time, information about related signs and symptoms can be put down in writing. The diary will also come in handy when monitoring the response to treatment.
With such a long list of causes, there is a need for proper evaluation by the doctor to establish what exactly is happening. The doctor will take a detailed medical history and perform a physical to come up with probable causes. Some of the issues that will be addressed in the history include frequency of episodes, their severity and whether or not there are related signs and symptoms. The next thing to have some blood tests and possibly radiological images such as the CT scan and MRI.
Treatment modalities to be employed will depend on the cause. It should be noted, however, that in some cases, the cause is not found. Treatments that have been tried with variable success rates include lifestyle changes, home therapies and pharmacotherapy. When the cause is migraines, patients are advised to avoid trigger factors and to use reliever medications. Meniere disease, on the other hand, is managed by dietary modification and surgical intervention when this fails.
Athletes and persons engaged in strenuous physical activities are prone to heat stroke, dehydration and hypoglycemia. If these are not properly controlled, dizziness and fainting may ensure. For this reason, they are advised to always have a bottle of water available to keep themselves hydrated at all times. Glucose and energy drinks will help maintain the blood sugar levels within normal limits.
Dizziness is a symptom that is fairly common and each one of use may have experienced it at one point in time. There usually no cause for worry in most cases. Worry should set in if there is recurrence and association with other symptoms. Due to its vague nature many people confuse many other things for dizziness and this makes diagnosis and treatment a big challenge.
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