Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo is sudden and severe dizziness.
Causes
- It is the disease to generate vertigo(dizziness) and nystagmus(spontaneous eye movements) as you move your head
in a certain direction. - It frequently occurs in women at 40 years old or higher. When you move the head in a certain direction in a sitting or
lying position, vertigo and nystagmus occurs. Vertigo occurs repeatedly, but it disappears within 40 seconds.
Nystagmus is directed towards the lesions in directions of rotation and horizontal. - Otolith, head injury, prolonged bed life, aging, auditory nerve tumor, infections, vestibular neuritis, otitis media
and taking drug with ototoxicity may work as the triggers.
Diagnosis
- Diagnosis of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo is simple.
- If you feel dizzy when you move your head, you should suspect this disease.
- Your doctor confirms the diagnosis by medical history hearing and nystagmus provocative test.
Most of other findings are normal and CT or MRI on brain is not required.
Treatments
- Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo is naturally healed.
- Most of them are spontaneously recovered within a few weeks or a few months. However, in rare cases,
it may last for long period of time. - Avoid the position of head causing dizziness and avoid the dangerous exercise.
- In addition, you can see the effect by doing the body positional exercises illustrated in the following.
- If necessary, you can take stabilizer or anti-vertigo agent according to the prescription of your doctor.
- In rare cases, it may last for more than a year or the surgery may be conducted if it does not respond to the medication.