It isn't just dizziness

Vertigo, as its sufferers know, isn't just dizziness - a word that can describe any number of feelings from lightheadedness to feeling weak or unsteady. The medical condition called vertigo is dizziness that creates the sense that you or your surroundings are spinning or moving. It is defined as a false illusion of motion with a distinct sensation of rotation ("The room was spinning around me"). Vertigo can be acute or chronic. Acute attacks are well-defined isolated spells of vertigo with a distinct beginning and end. Chronic vertigo is a continuous sensation. When acute attacks recur, they are treated as chronic vertigo. Doctors can diagnose 75% of vertigo cases based on individual medical history, but you must tell your physician the facts of your case, or the case of the loved one you are helping. When did your dizziness start, what you are feeling and does the spinning sensations come and go or does it persist? Describe what medications you are taking, any stress you are experiencing and any related symptoms that affect you, including nausea, vomiting, tinnitus, deafness or a feeling that your ear is "full." Particularly in the elderly, dizziness can be associated with other diseases and conditions.