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Dizziness

Dizziness is a word that is often used to describe two different sensations. It is important to know exactly what you mean when you say I feel dizzy because it can help you and your health professional narrow down the list of possible problems.

Lightheadedness is a feeling that you are about to faint or pass out. Although you may feel dizzy, you do not feel as though you or your surroundings are moving. Lightheadedness usually goes away or improves when you lie down. If lightheadedness gets worse, it can lead to a feeling of almost fainting or a fainting spell (syncope). You may sometimes feel nauseated or vomit when you are lightheaded.
Vertigo is a feeling that you or your surroundings are moving when there is no actual movement. You may feel as though you are spinning, whirling, falling, or tilting. When you have severe vertigo, you may feel very nauseated or vomit. You may have trouble walking or standing, and you may lose your balance and fall.

Lightheadedness

It is common to feel lightheaded from time to time. Lightheadedness usually is not caused by a serious problem. It often is caused by a momentary drop in blood pressure and blood flow to your head that occurs when you get up too quickly from a seated or lying position (orthostatic hypotension).

Lightheadedness has many causes, including:

1.Allergies.

2.Illnesses such as the flu or colds. Home treatment of your flu and cold symptoms usually will relieve lightheadedness.

3.Vomiting, diarrhea, fevers, and other illnesses that cause dehydration.

4.Very deep or rapid breathing (hyperventilation).

5.Anxiety and stress.

6.The use of tobacco, alcohol, or illegal drugs.

A more serious cause of lightheadedness is bleeding. Most of the time, the location of the bleeding and the need to seek medical care are obvious. However, sometimes bleeding is not obvious (occult bleeding). You may have small amounts of bleeding in your digestive tract over days or weeks without noticing the bleeding. When this happens, lightheadedness and fatigue may be the first noticeable symptoms that you are losing blood. Heavy menstrual bleeding also can cause this type of lightheadedness.

An uncommon cause of lightheadedness is an abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia), which can cause fainting spells (syncope). Unexplained fainting spells need to be evaluated by a health professional. To check your heart rate, see taking a pulse.

Many prescription and nonprescription medications can cause lightheadedness or vertigo. The degree of lightheadedness or vertigo that a medication causes will vary.

Common causes of vertigo include:

1.Inner ear disorders, such as benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), vestibular neuronitis, or labyrinthitis.

2.Injury to the ear or head.

3.Migraine headaches, which are painful, debilitating headaches that often occur with vertigo, nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light, noise, and smell.

4.Decreased blood flow through the arteries that supply blood to the base of the brain (vertebrobasilar insufficiency).

Less common causes of vertigo include:

A noncancerous growth in the space behind the eardrum (cholesteatoma).
Brain tumors and cancer that has traveled from another part of the body (metastatic).

2011-09-04