Dizziness

Causes of dizziness (mnemonics)

True vertigo (Head/ object spinning around)

• Meniere's disease
• Recurrent attacks vertigo
• Tinnitus and hearing loss
• Attacks last < 24h

• Benign positional vertigo
• Transient < 1 min provoked by position change
• Lasts a few weeks
• May recur up to 2 years later
• Often after episode of head trauma/ ear infection

• Vestibular failure
• Acute
• Sudden onset nausea, vomiting, vertigo
• Nystagmus on lateral gaze
• Resolves < few weeks unless due to ototoxic drugs (e.g. aminoglycosides), when it may be permanent
• Chronic
• Insidious onset
• Often age related

• Demyelination
• Often signs of brain stem dysfunction

• Migraine
• Often typical migraine previously
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Other brain-stem symptoms

• Vertebro-basillar ischaemia
• Rare
• Usually other brain-stem symptoms and signs

Syncope

• Loss or reduced consciousness

Psychological

• Light headed, 'not right'