Spinning out of control

A COUPLE of years back, actor Ayushmann Khurrana spoke about his struggle with vertigo. An inner-ear disorder, it affects over 7 crore people in India. A feeling of dizziness or spinning in severe cases, vomiting, nausea and sweating are the most common symptoms. These are most of the time mistaken for low blood sugar, high BP, anxiety or even heart attack.

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This was exactly what happened with Kharar-based Charanjit. A sudden onset of head spinning, vomiting and sweating made his family suspect a heart attack and they rushed him to a hospital. All his tests, including an ECG and MRI, came out to be normal. He was then referred to an ENT specialist, who diagnosed it as BPPV or benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, the most common form of vertigo. It’s caused when tiny calcium particles are dislodged from their normal location and collect in the inner ear or can be caused by head trauma, certain head exercises/movements and viral infections. BPPV is usually a self-limiting condition.

Vertigo is usually a symptom of many health issues rather than a disease itself, but it can occur along with other symptoms. If a person is experiencing any vertigo symptoms, it is important to find out if the problem is originating in the ear, or in the brain.

Besides BPPV, migraine associated vertigo is the second most common cause. Symptoms include spinning, imbalance, headaches, neck stiffness, intermittent blurring of vision, intolerance to bright lights and loud sounds. There is usually a history of motion sickness also.

Other subtypes include Meniere’s disease, which is caused by an increase in fluid pressure in the ear nerve. Symptoms include sudden fullness/heaviness in one ear, ringing/hissing sound, hearing loss, severe spinning, nausea and sweating.

A less common but most severe type is central vertigo, usually caused due to a stroke or traumatic brain injury, and leads to extreme instability.

Vertigo cases have been rising in recent years. This could be owing to ever-increasing screen time, worsening food habits, lack of sleep and exercise. I have seen an increase in a number of patients from the IT sector in my practice, many of whom are otherwise healthy, but feel dizzy and find it difficult to focus on the screen. Many of these professionals sleep late and do not get time for exercise.

Women are more prone to vertigo than men, mostly due to hormone fluctuations.

If unchecked, vertigo can be quite disabling, both personally and professionally. It affects quality of life because performing routine activities at home or work, driving or even walking normally are affected because imbalance can cause falls, which may result in bone fractures or other injuries.

However, the reassuring part is that vertigo is a treatable problem. Specific exercises, along with medicines and positive counselling, are key to managing this health issue. The treatment usually depends on the underlying cause and symptomatic treatment of various symptoms.

Along with treatment, lifestyle modifications are also required. These include reducing screen time, having regular meals on time, proper sleep of 7-8 hours and special exercises aimed to improve the balance.

A word of caution — social media is replete with information and videos which show certain exercises as a cure for all kinds of vertigo. It’s best to consult a specialist.

For Ayushmann, it was the right medication and embracing meditation that helped him manage his vertigo completely.

Symptoms

• Dizziness
• Imbalance
• Vomiting
• Sweating
• Headache/migraine
• Hearing loss/ringing in the ears
• Problem focusing in the eyes/Abnormal eye movements/Blurred vision

— The writer is a Chandigarh-based ENT and vertigo specialist