Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo, BPPV, as it is more commonly known, is a specific type of Vertigo that causes sensations of spinning, & dizziness to patients. BPPV is the most common type of Vertigo that patients suffer from.
Infact, you can get a gist of the disorder by its name only.
Benign, means that it is not a very serious condition, i.e., there is no immediate danger to your life.
Paroxysmal, means that its attacks & episodes are sudden in nature, last for short durations, & keep recurring for certain periods.
Positional, means that the episodes are triggered by certain changes in position, head movements, & sudden changes in the body’s position.
Vertigo, signifies that the disorder is a type of Vertigo, & is characterized by bouts of dizziness, nausea, & loss of balance.
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo(BPPV) is quite common in adults, & is usually easily treatable in doctor’s offices.
BPPV, as is evident in its definition, isn’t a serious condition, & isn’t fatal unless frequent bouts of dizziness cause you to fall while standing, climbing, running, or driving.
If the attacks occur way too frequently, then it may be caused by some other underlying illness or cause. It’s important for you to sit with your doctor & have them give you an accurate diagnosis of your condition, in order to formulate a better treatment plan.
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo(BPPV) symptoms:
A sensation that your surroundings are spinning,
Nausea
Vomiting
Lightheadedness
Dizziness
Unsteadiness
Loss of balance & sense of coordination while walking, standings, sitting, etc.
Sometimes, patients with BPPV also experience varying intensities of migraines.
There is a very easy test to determine which ear of yours is the cause of your BPPV symptoms, before you even make your first official visit to the Vertigo specialist.
Sit on the edge of your bed such that your head hangs over the edge when you lie down.
Turn your head to the right now, & lie down quickly.
Now, wait for about 1 minute. If you feel dizzy, then that means that the right ear is affected & is causing your BPPV symptoms.
If you don’t experience any dizziness during the above steps, then repeat the steps in the left direction. If you do feel dizziness then, then that would mean that the left side of your ear is affected.
We all have tiny calcium carbonate crystals, also called otoconia, inside our ears. Sometimes, these crystals can get dislodged from their original position & get deposited in the inner ear canal. The inner ear canal is an integral part of our body’s balance system, & is responsible for transporting balance signals from the inner ear to the brain.
When the crystals get deposited there & form lumps, they hinder the path of the balance signal carrying nerves, thus creating a discrepancy between the balance perception & the actual situation in the surroundings.
This disorientation is what causes the dizziness & the spinning sensation associated with BPPV Vertigo.
Any kind of head injury, viral infections like viral labyrinthitis, Meniere’s Disease, can cause these crystals to move from their original position. Sometimes, the movement occurs naturally, & there is no known cause for it.
BPPV Treatments
Benign paroxysmal Positional Vertigo(BPPV) is a highly common disorder, & is also very easily treatable. It is important to note here however, that some cases of BPPV might not be treatable at all. In such cases, the patients usually have to live with BPPV for their entire lives, albeit with strong management techniques.
There are certain maneuvers & exercises that BPPV patients can do at their homes, to treat & better manage their BPPV.
Some of these are mentioned below:
Epley Maneuver
The Semont-Toupet Maneuver
Canalith Repositioning
These exercises can either be done along with or under the supervision of, your healthcare provider &/or Vertigo specialists. However, some of these can also be done alone at home without any specialist supervision.
In some cases, where none of the above mentioned exercises & maneuvers show tangible results, surgery might be an option for BPPV patients. Your doctor will tell you if surgery is the right way forward for you, based on an accurate diagnosis & your medical history.
Working with Vertigo & dizziness specialists is the first step towards treating & managing your Vertigo. Get in touch with expert Vertigo specialists, only at Vertigo And Ear Clinic.
Know more about Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo(BPPV) here.
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Sudden hearing loss need not always be sudden, however, & can also occur gradually, until the hearing is completely lost in one or both the ears.
Sudden hearing loss should be considered a medical emergency, needing immediate attention of experts & specialists.
Most times, people who develop sudden hearing loss hesitate to go to the doctor as they believe it will clear up on its own time. However, this is a dangerous assumption to make & the more you delay your visit to the doctor, the less the treatments of sudden hearing loss will be effective.
Most people who develop sudden hearing loss, do so in only one ear. Rarely enough, however, sudden hearing loss in both the ears is also seen.
Diagnosis of Sudden Hearing Loss
Sudden hearing loss is diagnosed using a standard hearing test called Pure Tone Audiometry. This test determines if the hearing loss is caused by an obstruction in the path of sound waves like inner ear fluid, ear wax, tumours, etc., or if it is caused by neurological issues. This test can also determine the amount of hearing loss in decibels.
If the test logs a loss of at least 30 decibels in three connected frequencies, then the patient is diagnosed as suffering from Sudden Hearing Loss.
To make it clear for the layman reader to understand, a loss of 30 decibels in hearing frequency will make conversations on a regular pitch sound more like a whisper.
Most people with sudden hearing loss notice the loss of hearing when they wake up in the morning one day.
Some others, however, discover their hearing loss when they try to use the deafened ear while talking on phones or any other thing.
Some people with sudden hearing loss also report hearing a loud ‘pop’ like sound just before they notice their hearing loss.
Often, people who report to hospitals with sudden hearing loss also complain of feeling dizzy & a loud ringing noise in their ears also called tinnitus.
This happens as a result of the neurological disturbances in the balance centre that is located in the inner ear. When a person experiences sudden hearing loss, their balance centre also gets disoriented, thus leading to sensations of spinning, a loss of balance, & feelings of dizziness.
Causes of Sudden Hearing Loss
In most cases of Sudden hearing loss, close to approximately 85%, there is no proper identifiable cause. Only about 10-15% of patients with sudden hearing loss have a known cause.
These known causes of sudden hearing loss include:
Certain infectious diseases that affect the inner ear
Trauma from a head injury
Autoimmune diseases like Cogan’s syndrome
Taking an overdose of ototoxic drugs, which are drugs that harm the sensory nerves in the inner ear
Blood circulation issues
A tumour on the nerve connecting the ear to the brain
Certain neurological disorders like Multiple Sclerosis, and
Inner ear diseases like Meniere’s Disease
Treatment of Sudden Hearing Loss
The most common treatment of sudden hearing loss, especially in cases where the cause of the hearing loss is unexplainable, is corticosteroids.
Steroids are commonly used by medical practitioners to treat various types of disease & disorders.
Steroids help by reducing inflammation in the body, decreasing swelling, & aiding the body’s immune system to fight back in most cases of viral infections.
While steroids are usually prescribed in the form of a pill, direct injection based steroids therapy called intratympanic corticosteroid therapy, has also become popular in recent years.
In this, the corticosteroids are injected in liquid format behind the eardrum into the middle ear, where they travel into the inner ear & reduce any inflammation.
Intratympanic corticosteroid therapy may also be beneficial for patients who are otherwise unable to take oral steroids.
Depending on your exact diagnosis, your doctor will prescribe an adequate treatment plan that can help restore the sudden hearing loss.
Trusting the right specialists & experts with your condition is the first step to take in order to help restore your sudden hearing loss. At Vertigo and Ear Clinic, we have a dedicated team of Vertigo & ear specialists that accurately diagnose, treat, & manage your conditions.
We utilize a slew of innovative technology, experience, & expertise to help make each of our patients’ lives better.
Learn more about the treatment of sudden hearing loss here.
Learn more about us here.
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Hearing aids are used by people all over the world to help mitigate hearing loss in patients. If you or someone you know is looking to buy a hearing aid, there are certain factors that you should consider when it comes to picking the right one.
In this blog, we’re going to explore the different aspects that are important when you’re choosing to buy a hearing aid.
How does a hearing aid work?
Hearing aids do not treat hearing loss in patients but can help them live a better
life. They amplify the sound the patient hears by using an amplifier.
Most hearing aids are digital today and come up with a computer chip that is responsible for amplifying the sound that travels into the ear. The amplified sound is then played via a small speaker within the ear so that the incoming sound can be heard clearly by the patient.
Types of hearing aids
It is also important to note that there are different
types of hearing aids available in the market today. Some of the most popular
ones include Completely in the canal (CIC) hearing aids, In the canal (ITC)
hearing aids, In the ear (ITE) hearing aids, an Behind the ear (BTE) hearing
aids.
The different types of hearing aids come with different sizes, features, and
where they are placed in the ear. It is ideal to consult with your ENT
specialist when it comes to choosing the type of hearing aid that would be the best for your needs.
How to choose a hearing aid?
As mentioned above, you should only choose a device after a consultation with your ENT doctor. Other than that, there are a number of other things you can do including:
●
Having a significant amount of
money set aside for the device. Most hearing devices, even the budget ones, are
usually pretty steep when it comes to prices and you should be financially
responsible when making the decision to purchase one.
●
Understand the features of the
device you chose. Once you’ve selected a device that is appropriate for you, it
is prudent to take some time to understand how the device works and the
different features that it offers. A lot of patients often lack the
understanding and end up using the device ineffectively.
● Try to get a trial first. A lot of times, you can get a trial period where you can really test if the device is the right fit for you or not. Not every seller will offer a trial period but it is definitely worth going through your options looking for one.
Hearing aids make life easier and better!
As mentioned earlier in this article, hearing aids do not cure hearing loss but they do provide a significant increase in quality of life for patients around the world. We hope this blog was helpful in directing you towards the right hearing device for your needs.
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Tinnitus, or ringing in ears, is a common problem that affects more than at least 20% of people all over the world. While tinnitus is not a health condition itself, it is a symptom of an underlying health condition such as any injury to the ear, hearing loss caused by old age, or some problem with the vestibular system.
When it comes to tinnitus treatment, the exact method of the treatment would depend on the cause of the tinnitus. In this blog, we’re going to take a look at some of the self-help guidelines and home therapies that can help you manage tinnitus.
Some self-help guidelines for treating tinnitus
It is important to note that only a qualified doctor can provide you with the best tinnitus treatment, but the following tips can be useful to manage the symptom:
●
If you’re experiencing ringing in ears, avoiding
triggers that amplify the symptom can help a lot. Different people have
different triggers for tinnitus including caffeinated drinks, salt, aspirin,
and alcohol. It can be a good idea to identify the triggers that affect you and
then actively avoiding them to prevent tinnitus.
●
Quitting smoking can also help
when it comes to tinnitus treatment.
Smoking aggravates the symptom as nicotine acts as a stimulant and it also
constricts the blood flow and affects the nerve cells that are responsible for
hearing.
●
Another self-help method of
avoiding ringing in ears is
using white noise to reduce the effect of the symptom. Tinnitus is often much
worse when there is no background noise. A white noise machine is the best tool
when it comes to this approach but you can also try other easily available
sources of background noise such as playing soft music, turning on the radio,
or even switching on a fan.
●
Relaxation techniques also help
significantly with tinnitus treatment.
It is common for patients to experience tinnitus more intensely when they’re
stressed and worried. By using relaxation techniques, you reduce the stress
that you might be feeling. Some of the popular relaxation techniques to
mitigate tinnitus include yoga, meditation, and self-hypnosis.
● Lastly, it is also important to take care of your general health in order to ensure your body is healthy and functioning normally. For example, it is a good idea to ensure you’re eating a healthy diet, getting enough sleep, and exercising enough to keep yourself in shape. Fatigue and bad health not only affects
Even though a vertigo doctor will prescribe the treatment for vertigo based on the underlying health condition that is causing it, most doctors use vestibular blocking agents, or VBA medications like antiemetics, benzodiazepines, and antihistamines in the treatment process.
Alongside medication, there are a number of other things that can be involved in the treatment depending on the cause of vertigo. For example, a vertigo specialist may instruct the patient to perform an Epley repositioning manoeuvre in the case of BPPV or diuretic medications in the case of Meniere’s disease.
For the majority of cases, with proper therapy and medication, vertigo can be cured by fixing the underlying health condition using a combination of therapy and medication.
Treatment for tinnitus can also differ based on how the condition manifests itself. For example, some people might hear a low-pitching ringing in their ears which is usually caused by Meniere’s disease while others may experience a high-pitched ringing in the ears which might be caused by acoustic nueroma.
Some of the popular methods used in treating tinnitus involve treating the underlying health condition such as vascular conditions, or it can involve masking methods that help in noise suppression such as hearing aids and masking devices. Lastly, medications can also be prescribed in case the symptoms are too aggravated with alprazolam and tricyclic antidepressants being commonly used.
