Types of Vertigo
There are two main types of vertigo:
- Peripheral vertigo;
- Central vertigo.
Peripheral vertigo is the most common type, and it is caused by balance issues in the inner ear.
Central vertigo is caused by a disease or injury to a particular part of the brain (for example, the cerebellum, located at the bottom of the brain, or the brainstem, located in the lower part that is connected to the spinal cord). [4]
The two types may have various symptoms and will be treated depending on the condition that is causing them.
Symptoms and Causes of Peripheral Vertigo
Peripheral vertigo may have the following symptoms, depending on the cause:
- Nausea and vomiting;
- Sweating;
- Ear problems;
- Pain or a feeling of fullness in the ear (in case of inner ear infection);
- Hearing loss and ringing in the ears (in labyrinthitis or Meniere’s disease);
- Nausea that starts and stops suddenly;
- Nystagmus (uncontrollable movement of the eyes).
The most frequent causes of peripheral vertigo are:
- Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV);
- Vestibular neuronitis;
- Meniere’s disease.
These conditions are further described below.
Other causes include labyrinthitis (infection of the inner ear), perilymph fistula (caused by a head injury or sudden pressure change), and SSCDS (superior semicircular canal dehiscence syndrome), which is a breakdown of a part of the bony part of a canal that carries fluids in the inner ear. [4]
