Dizziness

Origin

Middle English disy, from Old English dysig stupid; akin to Old High German tusig stupid

• before 12th Century

Definitions

• 1: foolish, silly
• 2a : having a whirling sensation in the head with a tendency to fall

b : mentally confused

• 3a : causing giddiness or mental confusion <dizzy heights>

b : caused by or marked by giddiness

c : extremely rapid <prices climbing at a dizzy rate>

Description

Dizziness refers to an impairment in spatial perception and stability. The term is somewhat imprecise. It can be used to mean vertigo, presyncope, disequilibrium, or a non-specific feeling such as giddiness or foolishness.

One can induce dizziness by engaging in disorientating activities such as spinning.

• Vertigo is a specific medical term used to describe the sensation of spinning or having one's surroundings spin about them. Many people find vertigo very disturbing and often report associated nausea and vomiting. It represents about 25% of cases of occurrences of dizziness.[5]
• Disequilibrium is the sensation of being off balance, and is most often characterized by frequent falls in a specific direction. This condition is not often associated with nausea or vomiting.
• Presyncope is lightheadedness, muscular weakness and feeling faint as opposed to a syncope, which is actually fainting.
• Non-specific dizziness is often psychiatric in origin. It is a diagnosis of exclusion and can sometimes be brought about by hyperventilation.[4]

A stroke is the cause of isolated dizziness in 0.7% of people who present to the emergency room.[5]

Many conditions cause dizziness because multiple parts of the body are required for maintaining balance including the inner ear, eyes, muscles, skeleton, and the nervous system.

Common physiological causes of dizziness include:

• inadequate blood supply to the brain due to:

a sudden fall in blood pressure

heart problems or artery blockages

• loss or distortion of vision or visual cues
• disorders of the inner ear
• distortion of brain/nervous function by medications such as anticonvulsants and sedatives

See also

• Vertigo