Types of dizziness ‘indicate’ stroke and cardiovascular disease

Doctor Nguyen Huy Hoang, Vietnam Association of Underwater Medicine and High Pressure Oxygen, analyzed that vertigo is not an independent disease but just a symptom reflecting many different diseases. Spinning makes the patient feel like the surrounding environment is moving, sometimes accompanied by the phenomenon of floating, darkening of the face, unsteady walking, nausea, sweating, rapid heartbeat or hearing loss. Based on time, trigger factors and accompanying symptoms, medical experts classify vertigo into two main groups: dangerous and benign.

Dangerous dizziness often originates from brain or heart structures, requiring the patient to go to the emergency room immediately to avoid the risk of stroke or even death. Warning signs include sudden onset of severe headache, double vision, distorted mouth, weakness or numbness in limbs, and loss of coordination.

In addition, the patient may feel chest pain, difficulty breathing, irregular heartbeat, near fainting, high fever, stiff neck, ear discharge or sudden hearing loss. Intense seizures that last for hours, causing the patient to vomit continuously, unable to eat or drink, or of a different nature than previous ones, also indicate an emergency situation related to stroke or severe infection.

In contrast, benign vertigo often originates from problems in the inner ear. The dizziness is intense but ends quickly in a few seconds to less than a minute. This symptom appears clearly when the patient changes head position such as turning over, bending or tilting back. This group does not cause weakness, difficulty speaking or double vision. If the dizziness is accompanied by tinnitus and fullness in the ears, the patient is likely to have Ménière’s syndrome.

When dizziness strikes, the patient needs to immediately stop all activities, find a safe place to sit or lie, avoid driving or climbing high to prevent falls. Doctors advise patients to breathe deeply and slowly, focus their gaze on a fixed point to reduce the feeling of spinning, and not turn their head or stand up too quickly. Patients who are conscious and do not vomit much can drink filtered water or sugar water if they suspect dehydration or hypoglycemia. When the condition recurs many times and reduces quality of life, the patient needs to quickly see a doctor to find out the cause.

In order to proactively prevent, doctors recommend that people supplement foods rich in B vitamins such as meat, fish, green vegetables, cereals, and vitamin C from oranges, grapefruit, and guava. The daily diet needs to increase magnesium, potassium, good fats and omega-3, while minimizing salty foods, sweets, alcohol, coffee and tobacco.

Everyone maintains the habit of drinking enough water, sleeping 7 to 8 hours a day, and exercising moderately by walking, yoga or neck and shoulder exercises. Office workers need to manage stress, avoid working continuously for too long and should stand up for light exercise every 1 to 2 hours. Changing positions slowly will help the body limit the phenomenon of low blood pressure. High-risk groups such as the elderly, pregnant women or people with cardiovascular disease, blood pressure, diabetes, blood fat, or a history of stroke need to pay special attention to this symptom to prevent complications.