What is positional vertigo?

  Positional vertigo is the transient vertigo caused when the head is turned to a certain position. It is a common type of vertigo, accounting for about 25% of vertigo types, and the age of onset is commonly 40-60 years old.  Its causes are mainly divided into two categories: 1. primary: mainly otolith disease; 2. secondary: insufficient blood supply to the inner ear, head trauma and ear surgery, ear diseases (Meniere’s disease, mastoiditis, labyrinthitis, vestibular neuronitis, etc.), osteoporosis, etc. can lead to the onset of positional vertigo.  The main clinical manifestations of this disease are: transient vertigo that occurs when the patient is in a specific position, such as sitting up, lying down, lowering, raising, turning or turning over, usually of short duration, less than 1 minute, with occasional tinnitus, no hearing impairment, nystagmus, horizontal or rotational, and some patients with nausea and vomiting, etc. This disease usually occurs in elderly people around 60 years old. Because patients with this disease are often seen in neurology, it is often misdiagnosed as Ménière’s disease and needs to be differentiated.  Therefore, the treatment of positional vertigo consists of two main types: conservative treatment and surgical treatment. Patients need to avoid the movements that cause vertigo in their daily life, and they need to take regular medication (the specific medication is subject to the doctor’s consultation), and patients with more severe disease development need surgery.