Vertigo is the feeling that your surroundings are spinning even if you're standing still. It is a balance issue commonly associated with MS and its interruption of nerve signals.
Dizziness is a common symptom of MS. People with MS may feel off balance or lightheaded. Much less often, they have the sensation that they or their surroundings are spinning — a condition known as vertigo.
It is rare for vertigo to persist for a long time. A typical episode of vertigo lasts for seconds or minutes. Severe vertigo (such as vertigo as a result of Ménière's disease, which is unrelated to MS) is uncommon, but it can be constant and last for a few days.
Causes of Dizziness and Vertigo With MS
It usually happens because of a lesion around your brainstem or on the small brain structure above it called the cerebellum, which helps control your balance. A new lesion could bring vertigo. An older lesion that grows can do it, too.
Many people with MS experience episodes of dizziness, which can make you feel lightheaded or off-balance. Some also have episodes of vertigo. Vertigo is the false sensation of whirling or spinning of yourself or the world around you. According to one report , about 20 percent of people with MS experience vertigo.
2 In patients with MS, equilibrium disorders caused by the involvement of the brainstem and cerebellar structures are common, and about 20% of MS patients represent true vertigo at some time during the disease.
Usually, vertigo symptoms respond to anti-motion-sickness drugs, according to the NMSS. For more severe cases, a short course of corticosteroids may be prescribed. Use assistive devices.
What is Autoimmune Vertigo? In autoimmune vertigo, the immune system malfunctions and attacks just the ear, the ear and some other body part like the eye, or the entire body. Damage to the inner ear structures can result in vertigo and/or hearing impairment.
Numbness of the face, body, or extremities (arms and legs) is often the first symptom experienced by those eventually diagnosed as having MS.
Here's where MS (typically) starts
Optic neuritis, or inflammation of the optic nerve, is usually the most common, Shoemaker says. You may experience eye pain, blurred vision and headache. It often occurs on one side and can eventually lead to partial or total vision loss.
Dizziness has many causes, but MS-induced dizziness is typically more severe and lasts for at least two days.
MS can occur at any age, but onset usually occurs around 20 and 40 years of age.
HIGHLIGHTS: Vertigo is relatively frequent in autoimmune diseases; however, it is often misdiagnosed or attributed to central nervous system alterations rather to specific inner ear involvement.
The most common conditions are benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), vestibular migraine, Menière's disease and vestibular neuritis/labyrinthitis. Unfortunately, each of these conditions can produce symptoms very similar to those of stroke or TIA, so careful attention to symptom details is required.
Meniere's disease is a disorder of the inner ear that can lead to dizzy spells (vertigo) and hearing loss. In most cases, Meniere's disease affects only one ear. Meniere's disease can occur at any age, but it usually starts between young and middle-aged adulthood.
Generally, see your doctor if you experience any recurrent, sudden, severe, or prolonged and unexplained dizziness or vertigo. Get emergency medical care if you experience new, severe dizziness or vertigo along with any of the following: Sudden, severe headache. Chest pain.
MRI is preferred over CT due to its superiority in visualizing the posterior fossa, which is often the location for a central etiology of vertigo. MRI will rule out acute and chronic ischemic disease, cerebellopontine lesions such as vestibular schwannomas and meningiomas, as well as multiple sclerosis.
The course of MS is unpredictable and can cause a variety of symptoms in different people. It may cause hearing problems and other symptoms that have to do with the function of the inner ear, such as hearing loss, tinnitus, balance problems, and a muffled or full feeling in the ear.
The process of diagnosis can take months, in some cases years, and is often referred to as 'limboland'. In this factsheet we look at the early symptoms of MS and hope to answer some of the common questions that you might have at this time.
One of the first questions many people have when they're diagnosed with MS is: “Will I still be able to drive?” The good news is that most people with MS continue to drive as normal.