Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)

[Sly Saint]

Am posting this because it is apparently a common and treatable condition that might be 'overlooked' in an ME patient.

BPPV is the most common vestibular disorder.
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (or BPPV) is the most common cause of vertigo, which is a false sensation of spinning.1

BPPV is a mechanical problem in the inner ear. It occurs when some of the calcium carbonate crystals (otoconia) that are normally embedded in gel in the utricle become dislodged and migrate into one or more of the 3 fluid-filled semicircular canals, where they are not supposed to be. When enough of these particles accumulate in one of the canals they interfere with the normal fluid movement that these canals use to sense head motion, causing the inner ear to send false signals to the brain.

It is important to know that BPPV will NOT give you constant dizziness that is unaffected by movement or a change in position. It will NOT affect your hearing or produce fainting, headache or neurological symptoms such as numbness, “pins and needles,” trouble speaking or trouble coordinating your movements. If you have any of these additional symptoms, tell your healthcare provider immediately. Other disorders may be initially misdiagnosed as BPPV. By alerting your healthcare provider to symptoms you are experiencing in addition to vertigo they can re-evaluate your condition and consider whether you may have another type of disorder, either instead of or in addition to BPPV.

..it is very commonly triggered by things like rolling over in bed, getting in and out of bed, tipping the head to look upward, bending over, and quick head movements. However, they may or may not be familiar with the testing or treatment of BPPV, or may only be familiar with management of the most common form of BPPV but not the rarer variants.

https://vestibular.org/understandin...isorders/benign-paroxysmal-positional-vertigo

NHS info
http://www.uhs.nhs.uk/Media/Control...ysmalpositionalvertigo-patientinformation.pdf

 

[Amw66]

interesting that it is associated with the elderly - my daughter is a teenager and this sounds familiar.
Recent optician visit compared her optic nerve photo ( loss of definition around edge of nerve ) to being something more associated with those 40+ years old.
I wonder if any other " elderly" research would also have relevence?

 

[obeat]

Shortened telomeres?

 

[Mij]

I was diagnosed with this 28 years ago- day one of ME onset. Began with a sudden viral onset.

 

[BruceInOz]

I first had this strike out of the blue this time last year. I've had ME for 25 years and am in my late 50's.

It was not a pleasant experience. The first episode was pretty bad, to the point where I called for an ambulance since I had no idea what it was and couldn't walk to the car so someone could drive me to the emergency department.

Over the past year there have been long periods when I've hardly noticed it and times where it is more obtrusive, when things like rolling over in bed brings on dizziness that lasts for ten or twenty seconds. On one occasion it was bad enough to keep me in bed for a day.

There are exercises to help move the little bits of calcium that do seem to help. Overall it's just a mild inconvenience of growing older. Not at all in the same league as ME.