These comments are made for the purpose of discussion and should NOT be used as recommendations for or against therapies or other treatments. An individual patient is always advised to consult their own physician.
Vertigo
Question:I have an elderly friend that has vertigo. Been to about every kind of doctor. Can’t get relief. No eye problems tumors nerve problems. Any suggestions?????
Answer:Vertigo is one of the more frustrating and difficult medical conditions to diagnose correctly and to treat. Since I am a fellow sufferer, I have kept up with the vertigo literature and been to several labs to elicit my cause. Like most, no treatable cause has been found. If the vertigo persits, is incapaciting or increasing in severity an evaluation is necessary. This will start with a CT of the brain and possibly a hearing evaluation. There are laboratories dedicated to evaluation of vertigo. The basic question is to establish whether the vertigo is peripheral or central. Peripheral means the ear and balance mechanism is causing the problem. Central means a disorder in the brain itself is responsible. A good rule of thumb is whether the vertigo can be extinguished. This means that the manuevers which produce vertigo-if repeated over and over-produce less severe vertigo with each attempt. This means that the vertigo will be classified “benign”;that is, not caused by neurologic diseases or cancers. Treatment of these is centered on minimizing symptoms since the cause is usually not clear.
