Others have chronic dizziness if the virus has damaged the vestibular nerve. Without necessarily understanding the reason, they may observe that everyday activities are fatiguing or uncomfortable, such as walking around in a store, using a computer, being in a crowd, standing in the shower with their eyes closed, or turning their head to converse with another person at the dinner table.
Therefore, a process of elimination is often necessary to diagnose the condition. Because the symptoms of an inner ear virus often mimic other medical problems, a thorough examination is necessary to rule out other causes of dizziness, such as stroke, head injury, cardiovascular disease, allergies, side effects of prescription or nonprescription drugs including alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, and many illegal drugs , neurological disorders, and anxiety. When other illnesses have been ruled out and the symptoms have been attributed to vestibular neuritis or labyrinthitis, medications are often prescribed to control nausea and to suppress dizziness during the acute phase.
Other medications that may be prescribed are steroids e. If nausea has been severe enough to cause excessive dehydration, intravenous fluids may be given. If treated promptly, many inner ear infections cause no permanent damage. In some cases, however, permanent loss of hearing can result, ranging from barely detectable to total. Permanent damage to the vestibular system can also occur. Positional dizziness or BPPV Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo can also be a secondary type of dizziness that develops from neuritis or labyrinthitis and may recur on its own chronically.
Labyrinthitis may also cause endolymphatic hydrops abnormal fluctuations in the inner ear fluid called endolymph to develop several years later. If symptoms persist, further testing may be appropriate to help determine whether a different vestibular disorder is in fact the correct diagnosis, as well as to identify the specific location of the problem within the vestibular system. These additional tests will usually include an audiogram hearing test ; and electronystagmography ENG or videonystagmography VNG , which may include a caloric test to measure any differences between the function of the two sides.
Vestibular evoked myogenic potentials VEMP may also be suggested to detect damage in a particular portion of the vestibular nerve. Physicians and audiologists will review test results to determine whether permanent damage to hearing has occurred and whether hearing aids may be useful.
They may also consider treatment for tinnitus if it is present. Usually, the brain can adapt to the altered signals resulting from labyrinthitis or neuritis in a process known as compensation. Vestibular rehabilitation exercises facilitate this compensation. In order to develop effective retraining exercises, a physical therapist will assess how well the legs are sensing balance that is, providing proprioceptive information , how well the sense of vision is used for orientation, and how well the inner ear functions in maintaining balance.
After the evaluation, personalized vestibular rehabilitation exercises are developed. Most of these exercises can be performed independently at home, although the therapist will continue to monitor and modify the exercises. It is usually recommended that vestibular-suppressant medications be discontinued during this exercise therapy, because the drugs interfere with the ability of the brain to achieve compensation. The exercises may provide relief immediately, but a noticeable difference may not occur for several weeks.
Many people find they must continue the exercises for years in order to maintain optimum inner ear function, while others can stop doing the exercises altogether without experiencing any further problems. Labyrinthitis and vestibular neuritis. Check if you have labyrinthitis The most common symptoms of labyrinthitis are: dizziness or feeling that everything around you is spinning vertigo feeling unsteady and off balance — you might find it difficult to stay upright or walk in a straight line feeling or being sick hearing loss ringing in your ears tinnitus Symptoms can start suddenly.
The symptoms often ease after a few days. You'll usually get your balance back over 2 to 6 weeks, although it can take longer. Things you can do to help Labyrinthitis usually gets better on its own. But there are things you can do to ease the symptoms: Do lie still in a dark room if you feel very dizzy drink plenty of water if you're being sick — it's best to drink little and often try to avoid noise and bright lights get enough sleep — tiredness can make symptoms worse start to go for walks outside as soon as possible — it may help to have someone with you to steady you until you become confident when you're out and about, keep your eyes focused on a fixed object, rather than looking around all the time.
Non-urgent advice: See a GP if you have:. Urgent advice: Ask for an urgent GP appointment or call It usually develops suddenly and, if treated, clears up in a few weeks. The most common cause of labyrinthitis is a viral infection, such as from a cold or the flu , or infection with a virus from the herpes group of viruses, which causes chickenpox , shingles or cold sores , as well as measles or glandular fever.
Sometimes an ear infection can lead to labyrinthitis. Less commonly, a bacterial infection, such as meningitis or a middle ear infection , can cause labyrinthitis. Some autoimmune conditions , allergies and medications can lead to labyrinthitis. Most people with labyrinthitis feel that the room is spinning.
This dizziness is also known as vertigo. It can be mild, or it can be so bad it is hard to get out of bed. If you think you have labyrinthitis, you may need to visit your doctor for diagnosis and treatment. Your doctor may also organise tests such as a lumbar puncture, EEG , a CT scan or an MRI to rule out a more serious infection such as meningitis or a stroke. When you get up again, be sure to do so slowly.
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