Are you feeling dizzy and nauseous?

Dubai: Vertigo or sudden dizziness can happen any time of the year but it is more common during summer. People suffering from these dizziness attacks accompanied with nausea often mistake the symptoms to be that of a cardiac attack.

However, in all likelihood, given the heat and the humidity, the attack could well be that of plain and simple vertigo or imbalance that throws our over all body balance or homeostasis into disarray triggering a bunch of very unsavoury symptoms, advise health care specialists.

What is vertigo?

Vertigo is a sudden sense of disorientation or rocking where an individual feels like he has just got off a merry-go round. The ground seems to give away and the environment appears to spin.

Dr Sanjay Kewalramani, specialist ENT surgeon from Medcare Hospital, Sharjah explained: “Vertigo can be triggered due to a variety of reasons. This could be a strain to the head and neck, viral or bacterial infections and migraines as well. But the most common is the Benign Paraoxsymal Positional Vertigo (BPPV). This happens when the small calcium particles called otoliths that are attached to the inner ear fibres within the fluid of the inner ear canals move out of their space. The inner ear fluid and the otoliths regulate the positioning of the body and the balance.”

Anyone who experiences this loss of balance is unable to stand and engulfed by a wave of nausea followed by vomiting.

Dr Prashant Sharma. ENT specialist at Prime Hospital added that summers were specially times when people with no previous history of vertigo could become victims: “During summers vertigo is fairly common especially among older people in the age group of 60-80. During sweltering heat, these attacks are exacerbated when people do not have adequate fluids. This leads to dehydration and loss of electrolyte balance. Our inner ear which has three canals is responsible for hearing and also maintaining the homeostatis or balance of our body,” he explained

When fluid from the inner ear begins to move out to compensate for the dehydration, it triggers the imbalance.

How to recognise vertigo

You can know most certainly that the dizziness spell you are undergoing is vertigo if you also have the following accompanying symptoms:

■  Sudden rocking movement of the head
■  Sudden collapse to the ground, inability to stand
■  A wave of nausea
■  Vomiting.
■  Abnormal or jerking eye movements (nystagmus)
■  Headache
■  Sweating
■  Something ringing in the ears or hearing loss.

Treatment

Chronic vertigo usually gets corrected with adequate hydration, bed rest and reduction of stress. However, if there are repetitive episodes, patients are advised to seek medical help.

Dr Sharma said: “Patients can require vestibular therapy which is rehabilitation exercises to regain homeostatis or inner ear balance. In addition an ENT specialist can do the specific Epley manoeuvres that helps reposition head and neck in a manner to allow the otoliths to get back into the inner ear canal. This can bring immediate relief to a patient.”

The next time you experience dizziness and nausea check for inner ear imbalance.