Powered by Blogger.

Blog Archive

Monday, February 22, 2016

By Maria Graham


Dizziness is a feeling of being lightheaded that is associated with a wide range of conditions that may be considered either normal or abnormal. The normal form of lightheadedness is that which occurs as a physiological response. The abnormal form, on the other hand, is due to underlying medical conditions in a variety of body systems. Seek help if you are experiencing the symptom frequently or if it is associated with loss of consciousness, visual blurriness or headache. Several Toronto dizziness treatment options exist.

Dizziness should be differentiated form a similar feeling known as vertigo. Since the two have different causes and treatments, your doctor will seek to establish which of the two you suffer from. In vertigo, affected persons will complain that their surrounding is spinning. It is very similar to what one experiences just after they alight from a merry go round. The cause of vertigo is damage to inner ear structures.

The doctor will also want to establish a number of characteristics of your illness which will provide clues as to the most likely cause. These include the factors that trigger the symptom, whether or not it has progressed over time and the severity. A physical examination involving all the body systems will then be conducted. A number of tests are vital to establishing the cause of your symptoms. They include radiological images such as the MRI and CT scan and blood tests such as the haemogram.

Some of the diseases that frequently associated with this symptom are those that affect the cardiovascular system. These include hypertension and hypotension, irregular heart rhythm and heart failure. Hypertension is treated by use of anti-hypertensive drugs while hypotension is managed based on the cause. Abnormalities of heart rhythm are managed with anti-arrhythmic drugs or artificial pacemakers depending on the type. Drugs for heart failure also exist.

Lightheadedness is also a common symptom of conditions that affect the central nervous system. The causes within this system may either be acute or chronic. They include cerebrovascular accidents (strokes), brain tumors, headache, infections (such as meningitis), migraine and dementia. Many of these conditions tend to go undiagnosed for long periods of time and are only identified when they are greatly advanced.

Sudden changes in blood sugar levels as happens among persons with diabetes is a common cause of dizziness. The cause of the disorder is inadequate insulin or failure of the hormone to act on tissues resulting in erratic levels of blood glucose levels. Such events are particularly common among persons that do not take their glucose lowering drugs regularly. Adhering to set instructions is the only way to overcome this problem.

There are numerous other causes of this condition. Other common causes include anemia and intake of some drugs such as tranquilizers and sedatives. If you take part in a strenuous physical activity (by running a marathon, for instance), dizziness may set in due to physiological changes. Ensure that you have adequate glucose and water to use in such a situation.

The choice of therapy for dizziness is mainly determined by the underlying cause. Managing the underlying condition will help reduce the number of episodes suffered and their severity and may even get rid of the whole problem altogether. The treatments that are used include avoidance trigger factors (in the case of migraines), the use of drugs and general lifestyle changes.




About the Author:



0 comments:

Post a Comment