A broad range of complaints falls under the categories of dizziness and vertigo.

Dizziness is a broad term that can include:

• lightheadedness
• faintness
• wooziness
• a "swimming" sensation in the head
• a floating feeling
• double vision
• a feeling of "everything spinning in circles" or of whirling in space.

Vertigo implies the more specific sensations of either the body or its surroundings turning or the head swaying or revolving. The physical causes of these two symptoms are numerous: problems of the middle and inner ear, dental problems, infections, head injuries, drug effects, and disorders of the cardiovascular, neurologic, and central nervous systems.

Physical Causes of Dizziness and Vertigo

• Meniere's disease
• hypertension
• labyrinthitis
• postural orthostatic hypotension
• nystagmus
• stroke
• benign positional vertigo
• cerebral thrombosis
• ear infections
• cerebral embolism
• dental problems
• cerebral hemorrhage
• head injury
• transient ischemic attack

The ear is responsible for our sense of balance as well as hearing. The inner ear includes a structure called the labyrinth, which monitors the brain. When injury or infection disrupts the action of the labyrinth, vertigo may occur.

In Meniere's disease, a common disorder of the labyrinth in adults, excess fluid builds up and increases the pressure within the inner ear, causing vertigo and occasionally a ringing or other noise in the ear (called "tinnitus"). Labyrinthitis is an infection of this same region, often caused by a virus, sometimes associated with an upperrespiratory infection. This can produce severe vertigo, occasionally with some nausea and vomiting during the first episode. The individual may also experience a rapid flickering of the eyes (called nystagmus). Calcium crystals floating within the labyrinth can cause benign positional vertigo. In this condition, a shifting of position, such as rolling over in bed, can produce vertigo and nystagmus moments later, lasting no more than thirty seconds. Several kinds of ear infections, such as otitis media and mastoiditis, can cause vertigo but will additionally cause other distinguishing symptoms, such as drainage of fluid, fever, or redness of the eardrum. Dental problems, such as an abscessed tooth, malocclusion, or temporomandibular joint (TMJ) abnormalities, can also produce vertigo since the teeth are so closely aligned with the ear.