Vertigo Fact Sheet

• Vertigo is a false sensation of movement of one’s self or of one's surroundings.¹

• Medical care for patients with balance, or vestibular, disorders has been estimated to cost the U.S. economy more than $1 billion annually. Such disorders are among the 25 most common reasons for doctor visits with U.S. physicians reporting more than five million related visits per year.²

• Vertigo sufferers commonly experience other related symptoms such as diaphoresis (excessive perspiration), blurred vision or oscillopsia (a false visual perception that one’s surroundings are moving), nausea and/or vomiting, anxiety, and fear. These symptoms may be experienced separately or in combination, can strike at any age, and can affect people from all walks of life.^2,4

• Vertigo symptoms are often linked to problems of the peripheral vestibular apparatus within the inner ear, such as ear infections and structural deformities, or central nervous system (CNS) conditions such as head trauma, migraine, whiplash or brain tumors. In addition, stress/fatigue, high doses or long-term use of certain antibiotics, and advanced age are believed to contribute to the development of vertigo.^2,3

• Vertigo symptoms are often associated with four conditions: benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), Meniere’s disease, perilymph fistula, and vestibular neuritis/labyrinthitis; other causes include injuries to the head and neck and psychiatric conditions.

• BPPV causes vertigo due to displaced debris within the inner ear. Vertigo in Meniere’s disease is caused by the endolymph mixing with the perilymph of the inner ear. Perilymph fistula causes vertigo due to a tear or defect in the membranes that separate the inner ear from the middle ear. The vertigo associated with vestibular neuritis/labyrinthitis is caused by infections of the peripheral vestibular system.

• Diagnosis of these diseases is based on the patient's medical history, a complete physical examination, and the results of vestibular and auditory tests. Once diagnosed, a patient may be placed on a special diet and prescribed a series of physical rehabilitation techniques, drug therapies or, if such treatments are unsuccessful, surgical procedures.⁵

• Although several medications in the U. S. are used to treat vertigo, no conventional drug has been proven effective for its treatment. In Europe, the most commonly prescribed anti-vertigo medication is the histamine analogue, betahistine (Sercâ , Sanofi Winthrop), which relieves vertigo symptoms by improving circulation in the microvasculature of the inner ear.

• VERTIGOHEELâ , a prescription homeopathic medication, is specifically indicated for the treatment of vertigo and other related imbalance disorders. Although its exact mechanism of action is not fully understood, VERTIGOHEELâ stimulates the vestibular regulatory systems located in the brainstem and increases neuropathway activity. This increased activity may facilitate more accurate communication between the vestibular system and the brain.

References

1. Vertigo. In Clayman CB, editor. The American Medical Association Encyclopedia of Medicine. New York: Random House; 1989. p. 143, 824, 1047-48.
2. Vestibular Disorders Association (US). Vestibular Disorders: An Overview. 1996. Available from: URL: http://www.teleport.com/~veda/reach.html.
3. American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. Meniere’s Disease. 1993. Available from: URL: http://www.netdoor.com/com/entifo/menraao.html.
4. Vertigo: Your world spins without moving a muscle. Executive Health’s Good Health Report 1997;33(4):1-3.
5. Cohen NL. The Dizzy Patient: Update on Vestibular Disorders. Medical Clinics of North America 1991;75(6):1251-60.

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