vertigo common causes
BPPV
- Path: otolith
- symptoms: recurrent, reproducable vertigo lasting < 1 min
- diagnosis: Dix-Hallpike, look for rotary nyastagmus
- treatment: Epley
Vestibular Neuritis or labyrinthritis (+hearing loss)
- path: viral (herpes)
- symptoms:
- 4 weeks after URI
- single episode
- vertigo can last for days
- maybe unilateral hearing loss (labyrinthritis)
- maybe NV
- diagnosis:
- positive head-thrust test: In this test, the patient focuses on the examiner's nose while the examiner quickly rotates the patient's head 10-15 degrees to the side; normally, the eyes remain fixed on the target, but in a patient with a peripheral vestibular disorder, the eyes initially rotate with the head before voluntarily redirecting back to the target (corrective saccade).
- treatment: steroids, anti-vertigo (meclizine), acyclovir for herpes
Meniere
- path: unknown
- symptoms:
- hearing loss, tinnitus, vertigo; >30 min, < 1hr.
- Chronic, episodic recurrent vertigo
- diagnosis: clinical
- treatment: salt restriction, thiazide, anti-vertigo
Backlinks
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Neurology
Neurology
MKSAP
Meningitis
Myopathy