Your cerebellum is the part of your brain that controls your body movements. When there is a problem with this part of your brain, it can cause balance issues, like vertigo. Because of this, episodes of vertigo are sometimes the first sign that you may be getting dementia.
Patients with dizziness/vertigo frequently complain of memory loss or cognitive decline.
There are different personal risk factors that cause people to fall, however, people with dementia are at greater risk because they: are more likely to experience problems with mobility, balance and muscle weakness.
Vascular dementia is a condition that causes changes in thinking skills. Vascular dementia can cause problems with memory, speech or balance. These changes can happen suddenly or begin mildly and get worse over time.
Vascular dementia is generally caused by conditions that occur most often in older people, such as atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), heart disease, and stroke. The number of people older than 65 years is increasing. People are living longer with chronic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes.
Central vertigo is due to a problem in the brain, usually in the brain stem or the back part of the brain (cerebellum). Central vertigo may be caused by: Blood vessel disease. Certain drugs, such as anticonvulsants, aspirin, and alcohol.
Vertigo is commonly caused by a problem with the way balance works in the inner ear, although it can also be caused by problems in certain parts of the brain. Causes of vertigo may include: benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) – where certain head movements trigger vertigo. migraines – severe headaches.
Depression. The symptoms of depression are often mistaken for dementia.
Typically, a loss of balance will be a sign of late-stage Alzheimer's disease. However, if older people have trouble balancing but do not exhibit signs of memory loss, or any early signs of dementia, then this loss of balance can be attributed to vascular dementia.
As brain cells deteriorate and neural communication throughout the body worsens, someone with late-stage Alzheimer's will typically have more difficulty seeing, processing information about the physical environment, and walking. All of these affect balance.
Balance disorder
Patients with balance disorders often experience a feeling of dizziness or vertigo and may find it difficult to walk without falling. Other symptoms may include: Blurred vision. Mental confusion or disorientation.
Besides vertigo, other symptoms of BPPV may include: The feeling of confusion or brain fog. Lightheadedness between vertigo spells.
Vertigo, dizziness, and disequilibrium are common symptoms following concussion or mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI).
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.
Sit or lie down immediately when you feel dizzy. Lie still with your eyes closed in a darkened room if you're experiencing a severe episode of vertigo. Avoid driving a car or operating heavy machinery if you experience frequent dizziness without warning. Avoid using caffeine, alcohol, salt and tobacco.
Is vertigo a symptom of a brain tumor? Room spinning dizziness is a not a common brain tumor symptom and is more often related to an inner ear problem.
Overview. Meniere's disease is an inner ear problem that can cause dizzy spells, also called vertigo, and hearing loss. Most of the time, Meniere's disease affects only one ear.
In a general sense, vertigo-associated disease is commonly treated using vestibular blocking agents or VBAs. These include medications such as antihistamines (promethazine or betahistine), benzodiazepines (diazepam or lorazepam), or antiemetics (prochlorperazine or metoclopramide).
Administration: The examiner reads a list of 5 words at a rate of one per second, giving the following instructions: “This is a memory test. I am going to read a list of words that you will have to remember now and later on. Listen carefully. When I am through, tell me as many words as you can remember.
The Mini-Cog test.
A third test, known as the Mini-Cog, takes 2 to 4 minutes to administer and involves asking patients to recall three words after drawing a picture of a clock. If a patient shows no difficulties recalling the words, it is inferred that he or she does not have dementia.