Misdiagnosis of Vertigo

Misdiagnosis and Vertigo

MTBI misdiagnosed as balance problem: When a person has symptoms such as vertigo or dizziness, a diagnosis of brain injury may go overlooked. This is particularly true of mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI), for which the symptoms are typically mild. The symptoms has also relate to a relatively mild brain injury (e.g. fall), that could have occurred days or even weeks ago. Vestibular dysfunction, causing vertigo-like symptoms, is a common complication of mild brain injury. See causes of dizziness, causes of vertigo, or misdiagnosis of MTBI.

Types of deafness: A brief understanding of the anatomy of the ear is required in order to understand the pathology behind deafness. The ear can be grouped into 3 categories: the external ear, middle ear and inner ear. In cases of conductive deafness the defect is due to an obstruction in the middle ear which contains the ear ossicles. Sensorineural deafness points more towards pathology in the inner ear. A more detailed history regarding other symptoms such as tinnitus, vertigo, ear discharge, ear pain is needed to tell apart the various ear pathologies. A triad of deafness, vertigo and tinnitus points to Meniere's disease. Age of the patient as well an occupational history would be of good use to get to a proper diagnosis.

Ramsay Hunt syndrome- recovery depends on nerve damage: The Ramsay Hunt syndrome is herpes zoster affecting the geniculate ganglion. This syndrome develops when the varicella virus becomes reactivated from the geniculate ganglion. It is seen as a disease of older people but it can affect all ages including children. It usually presents with a paroxysmal attack of deep seated pain in the ear which slowly progresses to be diffuse in nature and continuous type with vesicles, vertigo, facial palsy causing a crooked smile and tinnitus. Making the diagnosis is very difficult when the presentation is simply pain in the ear. It is usually mistaken for Bell's palsy but the presence of vesicles helps in coming to a diagnosis. But in cases of children vesicles may not be present and this could alter the diagnosis. Presence of vertigo may change the diagnosis to acute labyrinthitis. The more severe the damage the longer it will take to recover. Early diagnosis is useful in starting an early treatment of steroids and antiviral agents for the syndrome.

More about Misdiagnosis

• Causes of Vertigo
• Misdiagnosis Overview
• How Common is Misdiagnosis?
• Over-Diagnosed Diseases
• Under-Diagnosed Diseases
• Types of Misdiagnosis
• Wrong Type Misdiagnosis
• Why Does Misdiagnosis Occur?
• Difficult Diseases to Diagnose
• More premium medical articles ...

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