Feeling dizzy or lightheaded? Here’s why you should seek medical help
Dizziness is one of the common reasons adults visit hospitals. It is
also one of the commonest symptoms encountered by physicians in clinical
practice - and probably the most difficult one to treat too. Dizziness
is the chief presenting symptom in about three per cent of primary care
visits for patients 25 years and older, and in nearly three per cent of
all emergency admissions, say experts. It is said that most astute
clinicians can also feel a bit dizzy trying to solve the problem of
dizziness in their patients!
The confusion starts from the fact that patients are often not clear about what they mean by “feeling dizzy”. Feeling dizzy means different things to different people, or even to the same person in different situations. It is further complicated as the causes of dizziness range from benign to life-threatening disorders.
A detailed history can usually classify dizziness into four main categories:
The elderly don’t tolerate dizziness at all and should be evaluated thoroughly due to the high possibility of serious causes like stroke. Elderly people with diabetic neuropathy, labile hypertension and gait problems experience dizziness more frequently and tend to have frequent falls due to dizziness.
The confusion starts from the fact that patients are often not clear about what they mean by “feeling dizzy”. Feeling dizzy means different things to different people, or even to the same person in different situations. It is further complicated as the causes of dizziness range from benign to life-threatening disorders.
A detailed history can usually classify dizziness into four main categories:
- Vertigo (usually described as false sense of motion or spinning sensation)
- Disequilibrium (usually results in off-balance or wobbly feeling)
- Presyncope (generally described as blackouts or feeling of losing consciousness)
- Lightheadedness (consists of vague feelings of being disconnected with the environment)
Common causes of dizziness
Causes of dizziness differ as per the age groups of the patients. For instance, dizziness in kids is commonly caused by simple reasons like uncorrected refractive error or migraine associated with dizziness. Benign positional vertigo and vestibular migraine are common in young patients, who are more tolerant of dizziness and often present to the physician late.The elderly don’t tolerate dizziness at all and should be evaluated thoroughly due to the high possibility of serious causes like stroke. Elderly people with diabetic neuropathy, labile hypertension and gait problems experience dizziness more frequently and tend to have frequent falls due to dizziness.