$Unique_ID{PAR00061}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Medical Advice:  Dizziness}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{
Editors of Consumer Guide
Chasnoff, Ira J}
$Subject{Dizziness Spinning sensation balance Loss eye Jerking movements
Nausea Vomiting rotating sensations faintness light-headedness vision problems
vertigo balanced Meniere's disease semicircular inner ear canals infection
canal middle infections concussion concussions skull fracture fractures
eighth cranial nerve tumor cerebellum brain tumors meningitis encephalitis
neurologist nervous system specialist computed tomographic CT scan
electroencephalogram EEG Dizzy Dizzying eyes movement nerves specialists}
$Log{}

Your Child:  A Medical Guide


Dizziness


     Quick Reference

     SYMPTOMS
     - Spinning sensation
     - Loss of balance
     - Jerking movements of the eyes
     - Nausea
     - Vomiting

     HOME CARE
     - Have the child lie down to rest, with the feet higher than the head.
     - If rest does not relieve dizziness, see your doctor.
     - Have the child sit with the head lowered to the knees.  Place your hand
       on the back of the child's head and have the child push up slightly
       against your hand.  If the dizziness is not relieved, have the child
       lie down to rest, with the feet raised higher than the head.

     PRECAUTIONS
     - See your doctor if dizziness occurs often.
     - See your doctor if dizziness lasts more than one or two hours.
     - Before calling your doctor, be sure the child is describing a sense of
       rotating.
     - Children sometimes confuse dizziness with faintness, light-headedness,
       nausea, or vision problems.


     Dizziness (vertigo) is the sensation that one is rotating or that one's
surroundings are spinning around.  It can be experienced normally by twirling
rapidly in one spot until the room seems to be reeling.  Dizziness makes it
difficult for a person to keep balanced.  If dizziness continues, it may cause
nausea and vomiting.
     If possible, try to find out exactly what a child means when complaining
of dizziness.  Children often use the word "dizzy" to describe faintness,
light-headedness, nausea, and vision problems.  Each of these problems can
have many causes.
     True dizziness has few causes.  The most common cause is Meniere's
disease (infection of the semicircular canals of the inner ear).  This
condition usually is harmless and clears up without treatment, but it may last
for weeks.
     Dizziness may also accompany middle ear infections, concussions, and
fractures of the base of the skull.  Dizziness occurs with tumors that involve
the eighth cranial nerve or the cerebellum (a part of the brain).  It may also
occur in cases of meningitis and encephalitis.

     SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

     if your child complains about feeling dizzy, ask him to describe the
feeling as clearly as possible.  Be sure the child is describing a spinning
sensation and not some other sensation (faintness, light-headedness, nausea,
or vision problems).  Look at the child to see if there is a loss of balance.
Also look for jerking motions of the eyes when they are turned to one side or
the other (this is another sign of true dizziness).  A long period of
dizziness may cause nausea and vomiting.

HOME CARE

     Have a dizzy child sit down with her head lowered to her knees.  Place
your hand on the back of her head and have her push up slightly against your
hand.  If the dizziness is not relieved, have the child lie down to rest, with
the feet raised higher than the head.  If rest does not relieve the dizziness,
the cause must be determined by a doctor for proper treatment.

PRECAUTIONS

  -  Try to be sure that the child is describing a sense of rotation before
     reporting the condition to your doctor.
  -  See your doctor if dizziness occurs often or if dizziness lasts longer
     than one or two hours.

MEDICAL TREATMENT

     The doctor will perform careful physical and neurologic (nervous system)
examinations.  X-ray studies of the skull and blood tests may be required.  An
ear, nose, and throat specialist may be asked to test the functioning of the
inner ear, as well as the child's hearing.  Your doctor may also consult a
neurologist (a specialist in diseases of the nervous system).  A computed
tomographic (CT) scan and an electroencephalogram (EEG) may be necessary.

RELATED TOPICS:  Concussion; Earaches; Encephalitis; Fainting; Meningitis;
Vomiting