yogabook / pathologie / dizziness

dizziness

Definition of

Dizziness is a symptom that describes a disturbance of the sense of balance. It results from contradictory information to the brain from the eyes, proprioceptors and sense of balance. Systematic dizziness occurs when the cause lies in the vestibular system, the brain stem or the cerebellum. This dizziness manifests itself as spinning vertigo, elevator vertigo (feeling of accelerating in the elevator) or swaying vertigo. Unsystematic vertigo (dizziness), on the other hand, has its cause outside the sense of balance. Symptoms here tend to be blackness before the eyes, a feeling of uncertainty and light-headedness. Differentiation according to aetiology: peripheral (peripheral-vestibular) vertigo:

1. Seizure vertigo
2. Failure vertigo

non-vestibular vertigo:

1. Central vertigo
2. Ocular vertigo
3. cardiac dizziness
4. Psychogenic somatoform dizziness
5. phobic vertigo, agoraphobia, fear of heights

by type of vertigo: systematic vertigo

1. Rotational vertigo
2. Lift vertigo
3. Vertigo

unsystematic dizziness

1. Uncertainty

non-vestibular causes:

1. Hypotension
2. arterial hypertension
3. Arrythmias
4. Circulatory disorders in cerebral vessels (atherosclerosis)
5. Cervical spine syndrome
6. Trauma
7. Visual impairment due to retinal diseases
8. Visual disturbances due to eye muscle and gaze paresis
9. intracranial pressure increase
10. Chronic intoxication with alcohol, antiepileptic drugs, sedatives, hypnotics
11. Sensitive ataxia as a result of sensitive polyneuropathy
12. Spinal ataxia due to posterior cord lesions (e.g. with funicular myelosis)
13. Postural instability due to extrapyramidal motor diseases
14. Psychogenic vertigo (not to be confused with phobic vertigo)

Cause

peripheral vertigo:

1. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPLS)
2. Vestibular neuritis
3. Meniere’s disease
4. Bilateral vestibulopathy
5. Vestibular paroxysmia
6. peripheral vestibular lesions, e.g. otitis media
7. Perilymph fistula (rare)

central dizziness:

1. Brain stem infarction
2. Cerebellar infarction
3. Bleeding, e.g. in pons, cerebrum
4. Brain stem tumors
5. Cerebellopontine angle tumors
6. Multiple sclerosis
7. other diseases of the above localizations: abscesses, infections, traumas, metabolic disorders

Symptoms

1. Vomiting
2. Nausea
3. Systematic vertigo: rotatory vertigo, elevator vertigo (feeling of accelerating in the elevator) or swaying vertigo
4. Unsystematic dizziness: blackness before the eyes, feeling of uncertainty, dizziness