OxScience

Vertigo

It is an illusory or hallucinatory sensation of the movement of objects that are around us or our own bodies. It is a spinning sensation.

It is usually due to disorders in the vestibular system, the inner ear, the cerebral cortex, or the brain stem.

There are two types of vertigo, the central and the peripheral.

The peripheral occurs due to a problem in the inner ear, in the part that controls balance (vestibular labyrinth or semicircular canals) It can be caused by:

• Postural vertigo
• Medicines.
• Injuries
• Inflammation of the vestibular nerve.
• Labyrinthitis.
• Ménière’s disease.
• Pressure on the vestibular nerve.

Central vertigo is caused by a problem in the brain, especially in the brain stem or cerebellum. It can be caused by:

• Vascular disease
• Medicines.
• Alcohol.
• Migraine.
• Multiple sclerosis.
• Cerebrovascular accident
• Tumors

Dizziness

Dizziness is a feeling of movement in the body, a sensation that may or may not is stimulated by actual movement. It is accompanied by nausea, feeling light-headed, and weak. It can lead to hyperventilation.

It can occur:

• During travel by land, sea, or air.
• Decreased blood pressure.
• The body is dehydrated.
• If he is sick.
• Heart problems
• Cerebrovascular accident
• Bleeding
• Shock

suggested video: vertigo vs Dizziness 

Difference between Vertigo and Dizziness

Both are symptoms of diseases and tend to be confused, the fundamental difference lies in their origin, and in the sensations they produce.

• In vertigo the person experiences a supposedly lived and real sensation (for him) of movement.
• Dizziness can be produced by an external movement that alters the balance of our body and other problems that cause a decrease in the supply of oxygen to the brain.