Dizziness Dizziness is a subjective sensation disorder in which a patient feels that either their own body or objects in the surrounding environment are spinning or swaying. This includes a sense of self-motion when not actually moving and a distorted or altered sense of self-motion during normal movement. Patients often experience accompanying objective balance disturbances, typically without any loss of consciousness.

Dizziness is a subjective sensation disorder in which patients feel that either they or the surrounding environment is spinning or swaying. It includes a sensation of self-motion when not actually moving and a distorted sense of self-motion when in normal motion. Patients often experience objective balance disturbances and generally do not have any impairment of consciousness.

Dizziness can be classified as rotational or non-rotational.

Rotational dizziness includes feelings of self-rotation or environmental rotation, as well as a sensation of tumbling.

Non-rotational dizziness includes feelings of swaying, tilting, floating, or sliding.

Dizziness can also be categorized as spontaneous or induced.

Spontaneous dizziness occurs without any specific triggers.

Induced dizziness is caused by specific factors such as head movement, positional changes, visual stimuli, auditory stimuli, Valsalva maneuver, and other factors.

In clinical practice, dizziness is further divided into vestibular system dizziness and non-vestibular system dizziness.

Vestibular system dizziness, also known as true dizziness, is caused by dysfunction of the vestibular nerve system and presents with sensations of rotation, swaying, and movement.

Non-vestibular system dizziness, also known as general dizziness, is mostly caused by systemic diseases and presents as lightheadedness, head fullness, feeling of heaviness in the head, and vertigo. Sometimes, patients may feel an internal rotation of the skull without a sensation of external or self-rotation.

Vestibular dizziness

Peripheral vestibular dizziness

Dizziness with cochlear symptoms (changes in hearing, tinnitus) includes: labyrinthine and extralabyrinthine lesions. Labyrinthine lesions mainly include Meniere's disease, delayed endolymphatic hydrops, sudden deafness, fistula, acute and chronic otitis media, cholesteatoma labyrinthine destruction, ototoxic drug poisoning, insufficient inner ear blood supply, otosclerosis, labyrinth concussion, and large vestibular aqueduct syndrome. Extralabyrinthine lesions include: pontocerebellar angle tumors, Ramsay Hunt syndrome, and temporal bone fractures.

Dizziness without cochlear symptoms includes: vestibular neuritis and insufficient blood supply to the vestibular nerve, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

Central vestibular dizziness

Includes vascular and non-vascular diseases.

Vascular diseases include transient ischemic attacks due to vertebral-basilar artery stenosis or other causes, cerebral infarction or hemorrhage, such as medullary dorsal lateral syndrome due to occlusion of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery, and cerebellar hemorrhage.

Non-vascular diseases include brainstem and cerebellar tumors, brainstem and cerebellar inflammation, demyelinating diseases of the brainstem and cerebellum, epilepsy, etc.

Non-vestibular dizziness

Ocular diseases: extraocular muscle diseases, glaucoma, refractive errors.

Proprioceptive system diseases: spinal tuberculosis, subacute combined degeneration, chronic alcohol poisoning.

Systemic diseases: cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, blood, endocrine, and digestive system diseases can all cause dizziness.

Cervical dizziness: compression of the vertebral artery by the cervical vertebrae, stimulation of the cervical sympathetic nerves causing vertebral artery spasm; stimulation of the cervical receptors, through the first to third cervical nerves to the vestibular nucleus, causing dizziness.

Reduce salt intake and avoid consumption of caffeinated products, tobacco, and alcohol products.

The adverse effects of known caffeine and salt on Meniere's disease are not yet clear, but a low-sodium diet and high water intake can prevent the release of vasopressin, helping to maintain the stability of the inner ear.

It is advisable to maintain regular daily routines, avoid fatigue, engage in moderate exercise, and reduce triggering factors such as negative emotions and mental stress.

If a patient experiences frequent sudden dizziness, they should take precautions to avoid serious injury from sudden fainting.

If dizziness occurs frequently, do not drive or operate dangerous equipment on your own to prevent accidents. If necessary, follow medical advice and rest in bed.