Questions Your Doctor May Ask - and Why!
During a consultation, your doctor will use various techniques in his assesment of the symptom: Balance symptoms.
These may include a physical examination or other medical tests.
Your doctor may ask several questions when assessing
your condition. It is important to remember that your consultation is a two-way process and any extra information
you can share with your doctor may help them with their diagnosis.
Some of the questions your doctor may ask are listed below:
- How long have you noticed problems with balance?
Why: determines if acute or chronic.
- Are the balance symptoms paroxysmal or continuous?
Why: helps determine cause.
- What is the effect of position and change of posture on the balance symptoms?
Why: vertigo is characteristically precipitated by standing up or turning head or by movement.
- Is there hyperventilation during an attack of balance problems?
Why: would suggest anxiety as cause.
- Recent cold or flu symptoms?
Why: suggestive of vestibular neuronitis, Viral labyrinthitis.
- Recent head injury?
- Past history
Why: chronic or repeated middle ear infections which can predispose to cholesteatoma which can erode into the internal ear and cause problems with balance.
- Medications?
Why: Blood pressure medications, tranquilizer medication, phenytoin, aspirin, some antibiotics (e.g. streptomycin, gentamycin, minocycline), antidepressants, quinine.
- Have any drugs been taken?
Why: e.g. alcohol, marijuana, cocaine - may cause problems with balance.
Questions your doctor may ask about related symptoms:
Sometimes, other symptoms may be present and may help your doctor analyse
your condition. These may include:
- Vertigo
Why: sudden sense of movement , an hallucination of rotation of self or the environment.
- Dizziness?
Why: unsteadiness or lightheadedness - without sudden sense of movement.
- Tinnitus?
Why: may suggest Meniere's disease, viral labyrinthitis, Acoustic neuroma, cholesteatoma.
- Deafness?
Why: may suggest Meniere's disease, viral labyrinthitis, Acoustic neuroma, cholesteatoma.
- Visual symptoms?
Why: may suggest Multiple sclerosis.
- Nausea or vomiting?
Why: may suggest vestibular neuronitis, viral labyrinthitis, Meniere's disease.
- Neck pain?
Why: cervical vertebral dysfunction can compress the vertebral arteries in the vertebral canal and can be associated with benign positional vertigo.
- Hiccups and difficulty swallowing?
Why: with severe vertigo are features of lateral medullary syndrome , a type of brain stem stroke.
- Seizures?
Why: may suggest complex partial seizures, brain tumor.
» Next page: Types of Balance symptoms
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