vertigo

An ambassador is an enthusiastic and dedicated vestibular patient or professional, or the family member of a vestibular patient, who is interested in sharing his or her time and expertise to help elevate awareness for vestibular disorders. As an ambassador you are passionate about our cause and committed to keeping abreast of new, relevant issues that may impact the vestibular community.

VeDA partners with the Journal of Vestibular Research and Barany Society to keep you up-to-date on the latest research in vestibular medicine.

The use of medication in treating vestibular disorders depends on whether the vestibular system dysfunction is in an initial or acute phase (lasting up to 5 days) or chronic phase (ongoing).

During the acute phase, and when other illnesses have been ruled out, medications that may be prescribed include vestibular suppressants to reduce motion sickness or anti-emetics to reduce nausea. Vestibular suppressants include three general drug classes: anticholinergics, antihistamines, and benzodiazepines. Examples of vestibular suppressants are meclizine and dimenhydinate (antihistamine-anticholinergics) and lorazepam and diazepam (benzodiazepines).

Other medications that may be prescribed are steroids (e.g., prednisone), antiviral drugs (e.g., acyclovir), or antibiotics (e.g., amoxicillin) if a middle ear infection is present. If nausea has been severe enough to cause excessive dehydration, intravenous fluids may be given.

During the chronic phase, symptoms must be actively experienced without interference in order for the brain to adjust, a process called vestibular compensation. Any medication that makes the brain sleepy, including all vestibular suppressants, can slow down or stop the process of compensation. Therefore, they are often not appropriate for long-term use. Physicians generally find that most patients who fail to compensate are either strictly avoiding certain movements, using vestibular suppressants daily, or both.

Vascular Vertigo and Dizziness Diagnostic Criteria By Megan Clark, MWC The Committee for the Classification of Vestibular Disorders of the Bárány Society recently released diagnostic criteria for vascular vertigo and dizziness. Classifying the type of

Dizziness, vertigo and disequilibrium are common symptoms reported by adults during visits to their doctors. They are all symptoms that can result from a peripheral vestibular disorder (a dysfunction of the balance organs of the inner ear) or central vestibular disorder (a dysfunction of one or more parts of the central nervous system that help process balance and spatial information). Although these three symptoms can be linked by a common cause, they have different meanings, and describing them accurately can mean the difference between a successful diagnosis and one that is missed.

Thanks to our Caregiving Heros Celebrating Vestibular Care Partners November is caregiver awareness month, an opportunity to focus on and celebrate all those who support vestibular patients. To recognize those individuals who provide caregiving support

Incidents of Vestibular Dysfunction in Children The vestibular system enables balance abilities and stabilization of visual images when an individual is moving his/her head. When the function of the vestibular system is disrupted, adult patients

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (or BPPV) is the most common cause of vertigo, which is a false sensation of spinning.

– Benign – it is not life-threatening
– Paroxysmal – it comes in sudden, brief spells
– Positional – it gets triggered by certain head positions or movements
– Vertigo – a false sense of rotational movement

BPPV is a mechanical problem in the inner ear. It occurs when some of the calcium carbonate crystals (otoconia) that are normally embedded in gel in the utricle become dislodged and migrate into one or more of the 3 fluid-filled semicircular canals, where they are not supposed to be. When enough of these particles accumulate in one of the canals they interfere with the normal fluid movement that these canals use to sense head motion, causing the inner ear to send false signals to the brain.

Vertigo can be extremely hard to deal with. The sudden onset of world-turning dizziness and the accompanying nausea, imbalance and loss of function can feel paralyzing and cause great concern. You’re not alone. In fact,

Introducción Hasta hace poco, la mayoría de los profesionales médicos suponían que los problemas de la función vestibular afectan principalmente a los adultos, y solo afectan a un pequeño número de niños. Sin embargo, existe

El VPPB ocurre cuando algunos de los cristales de carbonato de calcio (otoconias) salen de una membrana gelatinosa ubicada en el utrículo, donde debieran estar incrustados; se desprenden, y migran a uno o más de

Cause Infection or inflammation of the cochleovestibular nerve. Summary Vestibular Neuritis (or neuronitis) is a vestibular condition that is commonly caused by the inflammation of the vestibular branch of the 8th cranial nerve, which is