Causes of Dizziness in the Elderly
| Dizziness is a state of feeling unsteady, light in the head, near fainting, weakness or a sense of floating or swimming which can occur in any age .The frequent recurrence in seniors disturbs their normal routine. |
By itself, dizziness does not imply an inherent medical condition. It is a symptom of something abnormal in the body. When accompanied by other symptoms like headaches, vision becoming blurry, sudden loss of hearing, slurring in speech, stiffness in the neck, or difficulty during walking, dizziness is a cause for concern. Situations like pain in the chest, high fever, injury in the head or weakness in legs accompanied by dizziness calls for immediate medical attention.
Some of the medical conditions which have dizziness as a symptom include:
- Sudden fall in the systolic pressure of the blood.
- Diseases of the heart like cardiomyopathy or cardiac arrhythmia.
- Vertigo: This gives a sense of spinning in the head. This could be caused by inner ear inflammation, Meniere’s disease, stroke, multiple sclerosis, or growth on the nerve connecting inner ear to the brain.
- A sense of imbalance: this could be caused by disorder in inner ear or sensory system of the body, Parkinson’s disease, problems in the joints or muscles, spinal disorder, or disorder in neurological system.
Once the problem has been diagnosed, finding cure for the problem which is indicated by spells of dizziness is the next step.
Seniors must take care by making the house safe, avoiding driving, reducing smoking and drinking, taking the assistance of walking stick and sitting in a safe place when indications of dizziness appear.
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Causes of Dizziness in the Elderly
