A Holistic Approach to a Dizzy Patient: A Practical Update

Dizziness is one of the most common symptoms encountered by physicians daily. It is divided into four categories: vertigo, disequilibrium, presyncope, and psychogenic dizziness. It is essential to distinguish these four symptoms because the causes, prognosis, and treatment differ. Vertigo constitutes a disease of the central or peripheral nervous system. Central origin vertigo may be a life-threatening situation and must be detected as soon as possible because it includes diseases such as stroke, hemorrhage, tumors, and multiple sclerosis. Peripheral origin vertigo includes benign diseases, which may be fully treatable such as vestibular migraine, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, vestibular neuritis, Ménière’s disease, and cervical vertigo. The HINTS (head impulse, nystagmus, test of skew) examination is essential to distinguish central from peripheral causes. A detailed history including the duration of vertigo (episodic or continuous), its trigger, and a clinical examination step by step following the appropriate protocol could help to make a definite and accurate diagnosis and treatment. Due to a lack of expertise in dizziness and inappropriate treatment, many patients are admitted to dizziness clinics with long-standing dizziness. A holistic treatment combining medications, vestibular rehabilitation, physiotherapy, and psychotherapy should be initiated to improve the quality of life of these patients. So, this review aims to recommend a clinical protocol for approaching a dizzy patient with vertigo and to present in detail the epidemiology, pathophysiology, symptoms, diagnosis, and contemporary treatments of all causes of vertigo.