The 10 types of vertigo (causes, symptoms and treatment)

The so-called balance disorders are one of the main reasons for medical consultation most common in the world. And these, appearing suddenly or periodically, make that during episodes of greater or lesser duration we lose the ability to correctly perceive the space that surrounds us.

This leads us to have problems standing, feel that everything in our head is spinning, suffer from blurred vision or have the feeling that we are about to fall despite being perfectly static, floating or moving. . The most common balance disorder is dizziness, which we all experience from time to time.

But it is one thing to be dizzy and quite another to suffer vertigo, a serious balance disorder that does not arise from a specific situation (dizziness arises when, for whatever reason, not enough blood reaches the brain), but rather from a disorder in the organs that are responsible for maintaining balance. It is a severe and disabling condition in which dizziness is just one of the many symptoms a person experiences.

Therefore, in today's article and, as always, from the hand of the most prestigious scientific publications, We are going to investigate the nature and clinical bases of vertigo, understanding its causes, symptoms and treatment., while we investigate the characteristics of the different types of vertigo, classified according to how the loss of balance manifests itself.

What is vertigo?

Vertigo is a serious and disabling balance disorder in which, due to alterations in the physiology of the internal organs that control it, the person experiences more or less frequently episodes in which the false sensation that she and / or what surrounds her is spinning or moving is accompanied by disabling symptoms where dizziness is one of the main ones.

Thus, it is a disorder that appears in people who suffer from ear or brain disorders and has a prevalence of approximately 3%, affecting women more frequently, especially those over 40 years of age. And as we have said, vertigo is not a "specific situation" as a simple dizziness can be.

We get dizzy when, for whatever reason (low blood pressure, anxiety, stress, being too hot, nervous, dehydrated, spinning too fast…), less blood reaches the brain. But suffering from vertigo is a very different thing. Vertigo is linked to alterations in the physiology of, generally, the ear, although it can also have its origin in the brain itself.

Normally, vertigo is usually associated with problems in the regions of the ears that are responsible for controlling balance, which are the semicircular canals and the vestibular labyrinth. Any alteration in their physiology can lead to the predisposition of the person to suffer episodes of vertigo, which appear without prior warning and without being able to identify a trigger.

Even so, vertigo can also be associated with alterations not in the ears, but in the central nervous system itself, with neurological alterations in the regions of the brain that control the perception of space or with defects in the nerves that connect the ear to the ear. brain.

What's more, vertigo can also be a symptom of conditions such as migraine, multiple sclerosis, head trauma, vascular diseases, development of tumors (both malignant and benign) and even the administration of certain medications that have this balance disorder as a possible adverse side effect.

With regard to symptoms, vertigo is a serious condition in which, appearing in the form of more or less intense episodes and more or less prolonged in time, the person experiences a highly incapacitating false feeling that he and / or what surrounds you is spinning or moving.

And to this already unpleasant sensation that we can equate to very intense dizziness are added other secondary clinical signs such as loss of consciousness, weakness, problems focusing eyesight, difficulties in speaking, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), swallowing problems, limb weakness, inability to stand, hearing loss, light sensitivity, nausea, vomiting ... These symptoms, together with the fact that the episodes can last several hours (with a "hangover" that is takes several days), make vertigo an extremely disabling condition.

In addition, it must be clear that, as its causes are not clear, there is no possible way of prevention Beyond that, if we identify a situation that triggered the episode, avoid it in the future. And as if this were not enough, there is no cure either. Treatment should focus on treating the underlying pathology (if it is identified and treatable) or, at least, on alleviating symptoms when episodes arise.

There is no way to stop a person from having attacks of vertigo, but medicines for nausea and vomiting, physical therapy to regain balance and rest can, at the very least, alleviate the symptoms. But at the end of the day, faced with an episode of vertigo, all we can do is wait.

What kinds of vertigo are there?

Once we have understood the clinical bases of this balance disorder, it is time to delve into the topic that has brought us together here today: the different types of vertigo that exist. And it is that depending on both its origin and its manifestations, vertigo can be classified as follows.

1. Peripheral vertigo

Peripheral vertigo is one that is triggered by physiological alterations in the structures of the inner ear that control balance. That is, it is not due to problems at the level of the central nervous system (so if the alteration lies in the vestibular nerve, which communicates the ear with the brain, it is also included in this group, as it is not part of the central nervous system. ), but from the ear. It is the most common form of vertigo.

2. Central vertigo

Central vertigo is one that is triggered by neurological disorders in the brain. Thus, it is not due to any disorder in the inner ear, but to a problem in the central nervous system, generally at the level of the brainstem or in the cerebellum, the posterior region of the brain. Therefore, it is a form of vertigo of neurological origin.

3. Postural vertigo

By postural vertigo we understand that manifestation of the pathology in which the balance disorder manifests itself with an uncertain and hesitant gait when walking, with the person feeling that he or she or the room is wobbling. In the episode of vertigo, the patient has the sensation of being in a boat that is in the middle of a storm.

4. Rotational vertigo

By rotational vertigo we understand that manifestation of the pathology in which the balance disorder manifests itself with the false sensation that everything is spinning. That is, the person does not feel, as in the previous case, that he is in a ship that moves in the sea, but that he himself or the room is spinning. The room does not wobble as in the posture. Straight round like a merry-go-round.

5. Psychogenic vertigo

Psychogenic vertigo, also known as somatoform vertigo, is one in which episodes emerge not from a physical cause, but from a psychological cause. That is, no damage to the inner ear or the brain is identified, so the origin of vertigo is in the person's psyche. Thus, it is a vertigo that is associated with emotional or psychological disorders.

6. Multifactorial vertigo

By multifactorial vertigo we understand all those cases of the disease where no single cause can be identified that explains the appearance of the episodes. Thus, it is a type of vertigo linked to multiple factors, which are mainly associated with physiological and neurological alterations typical of aging. Hence it is also known as "vertigo of old age."

7. Migraine vertigo

Migraine vertigo is one in which this balance disorder is the symptom of a migraine attack, a neurological pathology which is accompanied by stabbing, disabling and intense headaches. In fact, vestibular migraine is that form of the disease in which the most severe symptom is vertigo itself.

8. Drug vertigo

By drug vertigo we understand that form of the disease in which episodes of vertigo appear as an adverse side effect of taking certain drugs. There are many medications that, generally by inducing the intentional or unintended decrease in blood pressure, have dizziness as a side effect.

9. Vertigo due to vestibular neuropathy

Vertigo due to vestibular neuropathy is one that is associated with vestibular neuritis, a pathology that causes an acute failure in the organ of balance, in particular with a sudden inflammation of the vestibular nerve of the ear, which transmits the information to the brain. This causes a sudden attack of high intensity rotational vertigo with a tendency to present with eye tremors, severe nausea and falls.

10. Vertigo due to Menière's disease

Vertigo due to Menière's disease is one in which the balance disorder is the symptom of this pathology, which, due to the affectation it causes in the fluid of the internal ear canals, causes hearing loss, tinnitus (buzzing) , feeling of pressure and pain in one ear. Thus, vertigo attacks are a clinical sign of this disease.