“Vertigo is not a disease, it is a symptom of a disease”
ENT specialist Op. Dr Erdal Uzuner stated that vertigo is a common condition and said, “It negatively affects the person’s daily life and does not allow him to do his daily activities. It can usually be seen as a result of diseases of the outer, middle and inner ear, central nervous system, cardiovascular system or metabolic diseases.
“THE UNDERLYING CAUSES MUST BE FOUND BEFORE TREATMENT”
Explaining that people usually call vertigo a disease and think it is chronic, Op. Dr. Uzuner said: “Vertigo is not actually a disease; It is a symptom that can occur in many different diseases. It can be detected and treated with hearing and balance tests. However, in some cases it is necessary to find the underlying cause before vertigo can be treated.
Uzuner said that vertigo itself is divided into two groups and continued his words as follows:
“Fear of heights; divided into central and peripheral. Central dizziness can be experienced due to conditions such as tumors in the brain, bleeding, aneurysms in the blood vessels. Patients are referred to the Department of Neurology in that case. Peripheral dizziness, on the other hand, is the disturbance of the equilibrium related to the functioning of the balance center in the inner ear or middle ear. It is popularly known as crystal play. It is also seen in Meniere’s disease, equilibrium and nerve inflammation (vestibular neuronitis). It is more common than central vertigo Migraine-related dizziness also ranks high in frequency.”
“ANY DIAGNOSIS MAY NOT BE VERTIGO”
Arguing that not every vertigo experienced is vertigo, Op. Dr Uzuner said: “Sometimes when patients feel unwell, unbalanced or nauseous, they may think it is due to vertigo. But this is not dizziness in a medical sense. To be defined as vertigo; one must feel that the surrounding objects move in a circular manner relative to them. Vertigo literally means dizziness. The rolling motion must be felt. For this reason, it is very important to fully understand the patient’s complaint to give the name of the disease.
“IF THESE SYMPTOMS MAY APPLY TO THE DOCTOR”
Saying that the most common symptom is dizziness, Op. Dr. Erdal Uzuner concluded his evaluations as follows:
“Almost every patient with suspected vertigo presents with a complaint of vertigo. However, some patients may experience additional symptoms. This; Symptoms such as pressure in the ear, ringing in the ears, impaired hearing, nausea and vomiting, loss of strength in arms and legs, balance disorders, diplopia, abnormal eye movements, loss of consciousness, speech difficulties and headache are among the symptoms of vertigo. When experiencing these symptoms in addition to dizziness, it is very important to see a doctor.”