Introduction

Patients with potentially life-threatening causes of dizziness due to cerebral hypoperfusion (for example: cardiac arrhythmia, sepsis or hypovolaemia), must be distinguished from those with true vertigo as soon as possible and resuscitated.

Correct diagnosis of the underlying cause of vertigo may allow specific treatments to be given.

Although some diagnoses such as Meniere’s disease have no specific acute treatments in general, the focus should be on excluding treatable and serious causes, and providing symptomatic treatment and rehabilitation where required.

An algorithm for the management of patients with dizziness is shown below:

Click on the image to enlarge.