Causes of Balance symptoms

Simple Causes: Various simple causes of dizziness include:

• Motion sickness
• Anxiety attack (panic attack)
• Hyperventilation
• Alcohol intoxication
• Hangover (Alcohol withdrawal)
• Drug abuse (Drug intoxication)
• Drug side-effect. Various medications may cause dizziness or nausea.
• Herbal remedy side-effect. A reaction to St. John’s wort can cause dizziness.
• Drug interactions. If taking multiple drugs, they may interact with each other.

Fainting: Many of the causes of fainting will also cause dizziness or vertigo prior to the faint. Read more about: Causes of Fainting.

Ear Disorders: various disorders of the ear can affect the balance organs in the inner ear, causing dizziness and vertigo. Causes include:

• Ear infections
• Meniere’s Disease
• Acoustic Neuroma
• Vestibular ataxia
• Ataxia

Vision Disorders: Some types of vision disorders may cause dizziness as an additional symptoms. Visual information is used by the brain to aid in balance and hence abnormal vision can sometimes give the effect of dizziness.

Systemic Disorders: Some of the various systemic and metabolic disorders causing dizziness include:

• Anemia
• Polycythemia (Polycythemia vera)
• Ectopic pregnancy
• Diabetes (Diabetic Ketoacidosis)
• Hypoglycemia (hypoglycemic attack)
• Diabetic hypoglycemia

Heart and Circulatory Disorders: various disorders of the heart, the lungs, or the circulatory system can cause dizziness:

• Arrhythmias
• Hypertension
• Palpitations
• Heart attack
• Angina
• Sick Sinus Syndrome
• Palpitations
• Tachycardia
• Carotid Sinus Hypersensitivity

Blood Pressure Disorders: Low blood pressure can cause dizziness, and often also fainting. Causes of dizziness include:

• Hypotension
• Orthostatic hypotension (Postural hypotension)

Low Blood Volume: Having not enough blood can cause low blood volume and hence hypotension.

• Low blood volume (Hypovolemia)
• Internal bleeding. Causes hypovolemia and dizziness.
• Dehydration. Can cause low blood pressure, dizziness, and fainting.

Lung and Breathing Disorders: Lack of oxygen can cause dizziness. There are usually other symptoms such as cyanosis. Various possible causes include:

• Pulmonary Embolism
• COPD
• Emphysema
• Chronic Bronchitis
• Lung Disorders. Various disorders may cause inadequate oxygenation and dizziness.

Brain Disorders: various disorders of the brain can cause dizziness:

• Head injury
• Brain injury
• Concussion (post-concussion syndrome)
• Stroke
• Transient Ischemic Attack (mini-stroke)
• Brain tumor

Psychological Disorders:

• Panic attack (anxiety attack)
• Anxiety disorders
• Panic disorder
• Generalized anxiety disorder

Infectious Diseases: Sometimes an infectious disease may be serious enough to cause dizziness:

• Inner ear infection
• Middle ear infection (otitis media)
• Respiratory infections
• Brain infections
• Encephalitis
• Rift Valley fever

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Note: This site is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. See your doctor or other qualified medical professional for all your medical needs.