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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Could Cause Sudden Onset Of Dizziness And Painful Ear?

i am dizzy (kind of like a being on a boat sensation) since april this year, it started in the night when i wanted to go to the toilet and i turned my head & everything went static - my head has felt heavy from that time on the left side and the back of my neck. my left leg became weaker including the rest of the body. I had an MRI for the head and nothing was found - doctor suggested it might be a muscle problem. i was given betahistmine for 4 days and stopped because of side effects. My left ear hurts inside but the doctor cannot find anything. i am tired of this dizziness and no one seems to know what to do.
Tue, 5 Nov 2019
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Neurologist 's  Response
Hi,

There are a couple of potential diagnoses to consider and depending upon your age and gender as well as other medical conditions one will be a little more likely compared to another.

One is called BENIGN PAROXYSMAL POSITIONAL VERTIGO (BPPV) which typically comes on in male subjects above the age of 50 or 55 years though it can be present in younger patients and when in this age group tend to be females who do a lot of aerobic exercising that involve a lot of pounding of the feet on a floor. The typical feature of BPPV is that VERTIGO that can be severe comes on upon sudden movements or changes in position of the head.

The other possible diagnosis is Persistent Postural-Perceptual Dizziness (PPPD). This condition is similar to BPPV except it is more continuous and ongoing but does have fluctuations unrelated to head position. Your best choice at getting a firm diagnosis is to see either a NEUROLOGIST or NEURO-OTOLOGIST for a good history and physical examination since other considerations are possible and should also be ruled out.

Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.

Regards,
Dr. Dariush Saghafi, Neurologist
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What Could Cause Sudden Onset Of Dizziness And Painful Ear?

Hi, There are a couple of potential diagnoses to consider and depending upon your age and gender as well as other medical conditions one will be a little more likely compared to another. One is called BENIGN PAROXYSMAL POSITIONAL VERTIGO (BPPV) which typically comes on in male subjects above the age of 50 or 55 years though it can be present in younger patients and when in this age group tend to be females who do a lot of aerobic exercising that involve a lot of pounding of the feet on a floor. The typical feature of BPPV is that VERTIGO that can be severe comes on upon sudden movements or changes in position of the head. The other possible diagnosis is Persistent Postural-Perceptual Dizziness (PPPD). This condition is similar to BPPV except it is more continuous and ongoing but does have fluctuations unrelated to head position. Your best choice at getting a firm diagnosis is to see either a NEUROLOGIST or NEURO-OTOLOGIST for a good history and physical examination since other considerations are possible and should also be ruled out. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further. Regards, Dr. Dariush Saghafi, Neurologist