Vestibular disorders in the elderly are easily overlooked

Vestibular disorder is a disease that occurs in all ages, especially for the elderly. For the elderly, the disease often occurs with a rather complicated level.

The vestibular is the area behind the cochlea, is a system that plays an important role in maintaining posture, posture, regulation, coordination of eye and head movements, reflexes of muscles, and general body movement. .
Peripheral vestibular disorders: Patients often feel dizzy when changing positions. Once the disease is more severe, the patient can't walk, the dizziness is often accompanied by profuse vomiting and prolonged vomiting, tinnitus, hearing loss, heaviness in the head, difficulty concentrating... Central vestibular disorder This is a common disease with symptoms of cerebral circulatory insufficiency, the patient has difficulty walking, when changing positions, the patient may be dizzy, dizzy, sometimes there will be vomiting bout.

Vestibular disorders also stem from the fact that you have a number of chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, low blood pressure or atherosclerosis. These diseases will cause poor blood flow to the brain, which leads to vestibular disorders. In addition, there will be some other causes of vestibular disorders in the elderly as follows:
Vestibular disorders due to too much stress, too much stress, alcohol and beer addiction... Vestibular disorders due to cranial neuritis caused by a virus Due to degeneration of one of the organs of the vestibular system Due to otitis media, labyrinthine trauma or arterial blockage Due to cervical spondylosis affecting the motor The basilar artery causes limited or very little blood to the brain. Vestibular disorders in the elderly can be caused by increased blood fat, atherosclerosis, especially the basilar artery, cerebral artery, which causes blood to flow. Lack of brain function Due to living in an environment with too much noise, changing seasons, especially sudden heat and cold, food poisoning People who sit in one place for many hours for many months or years, people who are sedentary or inactive , alcoholism, nervous tension...

The main symptoms of vestibular disorders are dizziness, lightheadedness, and inability to control posture. Frequent dizziness, difficulty standing, sitting down, especially when changing positions. Or walk with great difficulty because of stumbling and fall easily.
Besides, there are actual symptoms of nausea or vomiting. May be accompanied by headache, leg numbness, often inattentive, forgetful. There is a rapid heart rate, rapid breathing, frequent palpitations, and palpitations. If it is due to high blood pressure, the blood pressure reading will be higher, and if it is due to low blood pressure, the blood pressure reading will be lower.

Vestibular disorders can appear for a few days and then go away, but they can also last long and often recur. Vestibular disorders not only seriously affect life and work. This disease also reduces quality of life due to fatigue, dizziness, tremors, numbness of hands and feet.
Can cause complications, even life-threatening. While the disease is active, if you try to walk, you can fall, causing trauma to the skin, bleeding, even broken limbs, traumatic brain injury. The most dangerous complication is a possible stroke due to poor blood flow to the brain.

Vestibular disorders need to be treated properly and completely to prevent the disease from recurring and causing complications. Patients should not self-diagnose the disease and buy drugs for self-treatment.
Because there are many types of drugs to treat vestibular disorders, some of which can cause adverse side effects to the patient's health. Therefore, it is necessary to have a doctor's prescription and advice to be safe for users.
The patient can do regular and gentle exercises for the cervical vertebrae to make the blood circulation, not lack of blood going to the brain, but must practice the right movements.

In the case of the elderly with dizziness accompanied by some symptoms such as: sudden headache, high fever, blurred vision, not seeing things clearly or losing vision, hearing loss, .. should go to the hospital. hospital immediately.
Department of Neurology - Vinmec Times City International General Hospital is one of the prestigious and effective medical facilities specializing in examination and treatment of diseases related to the central nervous system.
Experienced medical team such as Assoc. Prof. Dr. Chu Hoang Van, Doctor Vu Dung Kien with expertise in the examination and treatment of diseases related to the central nervous system (cranial, meningeal, brain) , blood vessels in the brain, nerves in the skull, pituitary gland, spine, discs, spinal cord) and peripheral nervous system (nerves and ganglia outside the brain and spinal cord).