The horrible dizziness caused by that feeling that everything around you is moving, despite being completely still. Vertigo is a balance disorder that causes a hallucination of movement. People who suffer from them describe a state of instability, in which it seems to them that objects even rotate, and that prevent them from carrying out daily activities, as explained by Dr. Nicolás Pérez Fernández, co-director of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at the Clínica Universidad de Navarra .
During dizziness, patients suffer from nausea and a totally incapacitating state. This can affect people of any age range. In the case of the elderly, the doctor affirms that the multisensory vertigo that occurs can evolve into chronic instability. Therefore, both the sight, the hearing and the joints fail. And what is the origin of the vertigos? To discover it, you have to pay attention to the ear.
The first thing to keep in mind is that there are different ways to describe vertigo, including its origin. And, with respect to the latter, Dr. Nicolás Pérez Fernández affirms that the most frequent cause for which vertigo arises has to do with the ear. These are known as peripheral vertigo, their origin occurs due to an affectation of the labyrinth, in the inner ear; and vestibular nerve, which is in charge of managing information related to balance, it goes from the inner ear to the brain.
Peripheral vertigo often brings with it another series of symptoms in addition to these dizziness, such as hearing loss or also suffering from ringing, pain or a sensation of pressure in the ear.
Each case of vertigo requires a personalized study and analysis, which also allows us to assess how disabling it is for the day-to-day life of the person who suffers from it. The diagnosis must be issued after an adequate otorhinolaryngological examination.
Each type of vertigo implies opting for a specific treatment, however, the doctor divides the possibilities into three when dealing with this disorder. The first option consists of a medical treatment based on changes in the diet and the implementation of drugs. It is important to adopt a diet low in salt and eliminate liquids, since they tend to accumulate in the inner ear, where vertigo is caused.
Around 70% of cases improve thanks to this treatment. When this is not the case, the solution is intratympanic gentamicin, an antibiotic that is applied directly to the eardrum. With this outpatient intervention, it is possible to reduce the intensity, frequency and severity of vertigo until it disappears. On the other hand, if this does not work either, the third alternative will be surgical treatment.
