King’s Dizziness MDT Clinic
King’s Dizziness Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) clinic combines the expertise of Neurologists and ENT specialists to assess, diagnose and treat dizziness.
Dizziness is described as experiencing different feelings such as light-headedness, faint, disoriented, woozy or weak. Although it is quite common to sometimes feel dizzy, repeated dizziness, or if you are worried about the episodes, may require a visit to your healthcare provider. However, feeling dizzy may not be a sign of a life-threatening medical condition.
If an individual feels as if his/her surroundings are moving or spinning when feeling dizzy at the same time, then this is known as vertigo.
Types of Dizziness
Some of the causes of dizziness include:
- Migraine attacks
- Sudden drop in blood pressure
- Acoustic neuroma (tumour that develops on the nerve connecting the inner ear and the brain)
- Meniere’s disease
- Problems with the labyrinth of the ear (inner ear)
- Fluid build-up in the ear
- Low blood sugar
- Benign Positional Vertigo (BPV) which occurs when you suddenly change positions
- Alcohol consumption
- Medication
- Dehydration
- Anaemia
- Over exercising
- Anxiety
- Heart disease
Rare causes of dizziness can be as a result of:
- Brain disorder
- Tumour in the brain
- Stroke
- Multiple Sclerosis
Symptoms of Dizziness
Individuals experiencing dizziness may describe it as:
- Feeling faint
- Feeling light-headedness
- Floating
- Wooziness
- Spinning surroundings
- Loss of balance or unsteadiness
When to See a Doctor
Dizziness is considered one of the main reasons most adults end up in the doctor’s office. And although dizziness may not be a sign that you are suffering from a serious medical condition, it is highly recommended that you immediately see your doctor if you experience dizziness combined with:
- High fever
- Head injury
- Difficulty speaking or hearing
- Blurred vision
- Chest pain
- Severe headache
- Numbness of the arms or legs
- Seizure
- Numbness of the face
- Difficulty walking
- Loss of balance
- Irregular heartbeat
- Confusion or disorientation
During your visit with the doctor, he/she will determine the cause of your dizziness by looking at your medical history, performing a neurological physical examination, and any other symptoms you may have experienced or are currently presenting. Some of the questions the doctor will ask include:
- The number of dizziness episodes you may have experienced over a certain period of time
- When the episode or episodes occur
- How severe the dizzy spell was
- Under what conditions you experience these dizzy episodes
The specialist may also order some tests performed which include an MRI or a CT scan. In some cases, it is normal to not find the cause of your dizziness after all these tests, and you will likely be sent home and requested to keenly monitor the dizziness episodes as well as other symptoms you may not have noticed earlier.
Treatment of Dizziness
The treatment of dizziness sorely depends on the causative factor in cases whereby it is medically related. In other cases, lifestyle changes may be recommended together with some home remedies to reduce the dizzy sensation. These include:
- Drinking a lot of fluids
- If your dizziness episode is as a result of over exercising, you may be told to ease up
- Adopting an exercise routine
- Practising breathing exercises if your dizziness is as a result of anxiety
- Discontinuing medication that may be causing your dizziness
- Moving slowly
- Avoiding triggers such as alcohol, nicotine, or coffee
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