If a person has no deviations, then three systems work normally and smoothly: visual, proprioceptive and vestibular. However, in some cases there are disturbances in the conduction of nerve impulses and signals from the brain, resulting in a change in the location of the eyeballs and an illusory sensation that the surrounding objects rotate. In medical practice, this condition is called dizziness. And if an adult can recognize such a manifestation and clearly describe it, then most people do not attach any significance to this.
According to statistics, these days, dizziness in a child is very common. Since the baby cannot explain his condition on his own, most adults are not even aware of what is happening with their child. And the few who manage to identify the problem have absolutely no idea what to do and which doctor to go to. Therefore, in order to shed even a little bit of the light of knowledge, let's try to figure out why children are dizzy and how to deal with it.
general information
Before talking about the causes and methods of therapy, it should be noted that vertigo is not always a sign of a disease or a deviation in a child. It occurs in absolutely everyone when riding a carousel. People suffering from seasickness are also well acquainted with him. Therefore, if you notice that your baby’s behavior has changed and there are suspicions of disturbances in the functioning of the vestibular apparatus, then you should not panic and immediately run to the hospital. Next, we will examine in detail why children are dizzy and what methods of dealing with this condition exist.
Classification
Vertigo is divided into several types, each of which has certain characteristics, manifestations and causes.
The classification is as follows:
- Spicy. It occurs suddenly and has pronounced symptoms, which is expressed by ringing in the ears, hearing loss, photophobia and involuntary oscillatory eye movements. In most cases, this condition has no consequences.
- Periodic It has characteristic manifestations and signs as acute, but seizures are sharply replaced by a state of calm.
- Permanent. Such dizziness in a child is associated with impaired motility and the functioning of the vestibular apparatus. Headache is added to the main symptoms. In addition, children are poorly oriented in space, because of which they are often injured.
- Allergic. They are short-term and act as a side effect when taking any medications.
- Infectious. They differ from the previous ones in that they are accompanied by fever and vomiting. In most cases, this type of dizziness occurs with encephalitis of various etiologies.
Each of the above options of vertigo proceeds differently and may be evidence of the presence of any problems in impaired development of the baby and developmental abnormalities.
How to recognize the presence of dizziness?
Let's dwell on this in more detail. If the baby is dizzy when getting out of bed or when performing any action, then parents should find it in a timely manner.
This can be done by the following external signs:
- the child leans against interior objects or walls in an attempt to maintain balance and stay on his feet, while closing his eyes;
- he may refuse to sleep on the bed;
- children may suddenly interrupt their activity, while having a bewildered look;
- in rare cases, the eyes can quickly and involuntarily move in different directions.
If you notice any of the above signs, it is recommended that you immediately go to the hospital.
Reasons for vertigo
This issue should be given special attention. So, why do children feel dizzy? This can happen in a variety of cases, but in about 70 percent of cases, this condition is caused by a malfunction in the inner ear, which is responsible for spatial orientation. At the same time, vertigo can be accompanied by more than 300 diseases, among which there are very serious ones. Therefore, if you notice that your baby is dizzy, then you can not close your eyes to this. If the child had a head injury before, then such a condition is its consequences. In all other situations, dizziness can be a sign of very serious abnormalities.
If the child is dizzy, the reasons may be the following:
- middle ear inflammation;
- motion sickness;
- physical stress;
- low blood glucose;
- feeling of severe hunger;
- anemia;
- concussions and head injuries;
- allergy to any products;
- inflammatory processes in the brain;
- poisoning.
If the child is dizzy when getting out of bed, but there is no pronounced symptomatology, then it is better to undergo an examination to make sure there are no violations in his development.
What diseases can be accompanied by vertigo?
As mentioned earlier, dizziness can occur with more than 300 ailments, but most often the following are diagnosed in children:
- ear diseases;
- infections
- meningitis;
- seasickness;
- vegetovascular dystonia;
- inflammation of the brain;
- anemia;
- hypotension;
- osteochondrosis of the cervical spine;
- damage to the central nervous system;
- brain cancer;
- pathology of the endocrine system.
This is only a small part of the diseases that can occur along the way with vertigo. The remaining ailments are manifested much less frequently, but they are also very dangerous.
Diagnostics
What does it include? If your child closes his eyes and is dizzy, then you need to show him to the pediatrician. He will conduct a general examination and send for examination to a profiled specialist.
In addition, the doctor may prescribe the following tests:
- anamnesis;
- general blood analysis;
- liver tests;
- oxygenometry;
- brain x-ray;
- CT scan.
If any serious illness is suspected, the doctor may also prescribe the following tests:
- electrocardiography;
- Ultrasound of the brain;
- posturography;
- rheoencephalography of the head.
Only on the basis of a comprehensive examination and the results of research, a profiled specialist will be able to make an accurate diagnosis and advise various exercises for dizziness.
In what cases is vertigo not a pathology?
If the child has normal pressure, but is dizzy, it is not necessary that he has any serious deviation or illness.
This may be caused by the following:
- in children under the age of 5 years, the vestibular apparatus may still not be fully formed, and therefore it may experience some problems with spatial orientation;
- vertigo may appear in a dark room due to lack of eye contact with the outside world;
- severe hunger;
- lack of physical mobility;
- overheating, for example, during prolonged exposure to the scorching sun or while swimming in very hot water;
- severe emotional stress;
- excessive physical activity;
- early pregnancy;
- side effects of any medications;
- hormonal changes in the body.
In all these cases, dizziness is considered a completely normal manifestation, so there is no particular reason for concern here.
Basic prerequisites for going to the doctor
If the child has weakness without temperature, which is accompanied by vertigo, then this is a weighty argument in favor of the fact that you need to show the baby to a qualified specialist.
Also, you cannot postpone a visit to the pediatrician in the following situations:
- attacks make themselves felt regularly;
- Strong headache;
- dizziness does not go away for 20 minutes or more;
- decreased vision;
- fainting
- nystagmus;
- stuffy ears;
- hearing impairment;
- diplopia;
- sensitivity disorders.
All these manifestations are amplified if you, as well as your relatives, suffer from severe migraines.
Vertigo Actions
This issue should be given special attention. So, the child is dizzy, what to do in this situation? First of all, you should not give in to panic and try to calm your baby.
Also worth doing the following:
- Lay your child on a hard horizontal surface.
- Provide him with emotional and physical relaxation.
- Do not let your child get up until the dizziness has passed.
- If vertigo is accompanied by vomiting, then let him drink as much fluid as possible to prevent dehydration.
- Watch the temperature in the room so that the baby does not overheat.
- Leave the light in the children's room on while you sleep.
If vertigo attacks occur on an ongoing basis, it is imperative to visit the hospital, since treatment is required in this case. In addition, it is recommended to perform special exercises for dizziness. However, in no case do not try to engage in treatment yourself, as universal therapy does not exist. Each individual case is unique and requires an individual approach.
What doctors can help?
If you encounter a similar problem, you should first go to an appointment with a therapist who will ask you and the baby about complaints, perform a general examination and prescribe all the necessary tests. If at the same time the child has normal pressure, then the doctor can send an appointment to a profile specialist. Patients with complaints of vertigo when the problem is implicit in nature, requires a comprehensive examination.
The following narrow-profile doctors are involved in it:
- vertebro-neurologist;
- otoneurologist;
- otolaryngologist;
- neurologist;
- an audiologist;
- endocrinologist;
- cardiologist;
- ophthalmologist;
- infectious disease specialist.
Such a number of doctors is due to the fact that dizziness can be associated with a wide variety of problems, so it is quite difficult to identify the cause. When an accurate diagnosis is made, on the basis of the clinical picture of the patient, the doctors draw up a suitable therapy program. In this case, treatment should proceed under the strict supervision of doctors, who will, if necessary, make appropriate adjustments.
Conclusion
Now you have a detailed idea of why children feel dizzy. This phenomenon does not always occur due to developmental abnormalities and any pathologies, however, it is impossible to independently determine the condition of the baby, so you can never be sure that the child is completely healthy. When the first symptoms of vertigo appear, you should immediately go to the hospital. This is the only way to identify any disease at an early stage and begin timely treatment. Do not risk the health of your child, as any delay can be fraught with various serious consequences. If symptoms of various ailments appear, contact a specialist immediately.