What Are the Causes of Long-Term Vertigo?

Vertigo is a debilitating and many times unbearable condition whose underlying cause can prove to be quite serious. Often times, long-term vertigo symptoms may relate back to an inner ear problem.

Features

• Benign positional vertigo remains the most common source of long-term vertigo. This condition occurs when small particles located inside the inner ear become disturbed or dislodged.

Identification

• Meniere's disease is another common cause of long-term vertigo. This balance and hearing disorder can be easily identified by other symptoms such as hearing loss, as well as buzzing, ringing or pressure in the ear.

Effects

• Vertigo, particularly when triggered by Meniere's disease, commonly occurs due to an abnormal amount of fluid located in the inner ear, which in turn can throw off the balance of the surrounding sensors.

Warning

• Long-term vertigo may be the sign of a more serious condition such as cerebral hemorrhaging, multiple sclerosis or acoustic neuroma, a tumor located within the ear. Vertigo related to these conditions will not go away until the cause is treated.

Prevention/Solution

• A combination of medication and therapy can help even long-term sufferers. In fact, in less severe cases, simple head, neck and eye exercises can help prevent the return of vertigo.