define vertigo?

Answer 1

Here's what I found on it in my medical dictionary:

Vertigo- The sensation of moving around in space (subjective vertigo) or of having objects move about the person (objective vertigo). Vertigo is sometimes inaccurately used as a synonym for dizziness, lightheadedness, or giddiness. It may be caused by a variety of entities, including middle ear disease; toxic conditions such as those caused by salicyclates, alcohol, or streptomycin (my comment, this is an antibiotic), sunstroke, postural hypotension, toxemia due to food poisoning, or infectious disease.

Answer 2

Vertigo and dizziness are two different things. Vertigo is an illness but every-one can get dizzy.
Dizziness It is the feeling one gets if one goes around and around. The more movement the greater the dizziness. Dizzyness usually stops quite quickly.With dizziness you know where you are.
Vertigo is different it is usually caused by DAMAGE in the part of the ear that is to do with BALANCE.
Vertigo can occur when one moves quickly e.g. when you get out of bed quickly in the morning, or if you turn your head quickly.Vertigo can also happen if you have various diseases for example heart disease is often accompanied by vertigo.
Vertigo can be VERY serious if one has had a head injury one needs to immediately to hospital emergency (do not drive yourself)

Vertigo is different to being dizzy. Because you do not know exactly where you are. It may seem as if the whole room has tipped over to one side.

Other people may see you tipping over to one side (you can go faint and collapse) Yet you feel as if you are standing straight and every-one, every-thing else is falling over. This is often accompanied by a feeling you are going to be SICK. It can go on for varied amounts of time. The only way to cure it is to do the specific excersises
If you believe you have real vertigo you DEFINITELY need to go to a specialist, who will do a Hicks test where your head is dropped the doctor will see your eyes roll into the top of your head on the side that has vertigo.
Do get it medically checked because
- it can be definitely diagnosed by a doctor
- excersises can help it.
-you may need to change the whole way you move and what you do to prevent it getting worse.
- If you are in an accident the mergency people need to know.
Good Luck you can live with it but you will need to make changes.
If it is a another person you need to be patient with them and realise it is caused by damage and it is not pleasant when it happens and the person needs to see doctors.

Answer 3

Like everyone, I think both films are excellent. But I have always liked Vertigo a touch better. I was lucky to see this one on the big screen last summer in my city. I love seeing old movies on the big screen.

Answer 4

vertigo is a feeling that you are dizzily turning around or that things are dizzily turning about you. Vertigo is usually due to a problem with the inner ear. Vertigo can also be caused by vision problems.

The word "vertigo" comes from the Latin "vertere", to turn + the suffix "-igo", a condition = a condition of turning about). Vertigo is medically distinct from dizziness, lightheadedness, and unsteadiness. See: Dizziness, Lightheadedness, and Unsteadiness.



Definition of Vertigo
Vertigo is a type of dizziness felt as a shift in a person's relationship to the normal environment (a feeling that the room is spinning is common) or a sense of movement in space.

Although dizziness and vertigo are often used interchangeably, they are not the same thing. While all vertigo is dizziness, not all dizziness is vertigo.


True vertigo, from the Latin "vertere," to turn, is a distinct, often severe form of dizziness that is a movement hallucination.



Description of Vertigo
There are four major types of dizziness - vertigo, presyncope, disequilibrium, and lightheadedness.

Most patients with true vertigo have a peripheral vestibular disorder, such as benign positional vertigo. This is usually associated with tinnitus and hearing loss.


Central disorders, such as brain stem or cerebellar lesions, tend to be more chronic but less intense than peripheral disorders and are not associated with hearing loss. Central disorders account for only 15 percent of patients with vertigo.


Vertigo is the illusion that you - or your surroundings - are moving. You may feel that you are spinning, tilting, rocking, or falling through space. You may vomit or have ringing in the ears (tinnitus). Also, your eyes may uncontrollably jerk back and forth (a condition called nystagmus



Causes and Risk Factors of Vertigo
There are several causes of vertigo:

Benign positional paroxysmal vertigo (BPPV) is a disorder of the inner ear. The cause usually is unknown, but an upper respiratory tract infection or a minor blow to the head may be responsible. This type of vertigo occurs abruptly when you move your head up and down, or when you turn over in bed. Symptoms can be distressing but they fade in a few seconds. Avoiding positions that bring this on may reduce its occurrence.


BPPV is the commonest form of vertigo, with attacks lasting 30 to 60 seconds, typically set off when rolling over in bed, moving the head to one side or reaching for something ("top-shelf vertigo"). Sufferers can usually describe specific head movements that trigger it.


Although BPPV often occurs for no apparent reason, it can follow an ear infection, head or ear injury, and is thought to result from the dislodgement of normal crystalline structures in the ear's balance detectors. People with BPPV are often relieved to hear that it is due to an inner ear condition and does not signify some serious disorder such as a stroke or tumor.


Labyrinthitis refers to a variety of conditions within the inner ear. It may be associated with inflammation, an upper respiratory infection or nerve deterioration, but often occurs independently of other problems.


Central nervous system disorders that can cause vertigo as a symptom include multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, neck injuries, certain forms of migraine, acoustic neuroma, cerebellar and brain stem tumors, and TIAS (transient ischemic attacks).




Symptoms of Vertigo
A patient may experience severe vertigo for days or weeks. Nausea, vomiting, and involuntary eye movements are common. The condition gradually improves, but symptoms can persist for weeks or months.


Treatment of Vertigo
Treatment depends on the diagnosis. A complete medical evaluation is recommended for anyone with vertigo. This can reveal the true cause and suggest one or more solutions based upon treating the underlying disorder.

Answer 5

Vertigo is felling dizzy or lightheadedness, mainly caused by decreased blood supplt to brain thru basal arteries or when the fluid in ur nternal ear displaces.............

Answer 6

There are many things, that can cause vertigo in my opinion...It can be consequence of certain sickness or it can be generated by fear, like when you find yourself on some precarious ledge on the mountainside, looking down in fear...Basically it is caused by lack of oxygen in the brain...

Answer 7

Vertigo is the feeling of lightheadedness and dizziness.
The world spinning, feeling of falling, faintness, nauseous, just generally dizzy.

Answer 8

The feeling :
that your head feels giddy,
you are about to fall off from great heights or from tall buildings, and you almost collapse from that giddiness.
That is Vertigo!

Answer 9

It is the senation of feeling dizzy and sick.