Dizziness and light headed

IMPORTANCE: Since 2015, US government and related personnel have reported dizziness, pain, visual problems, and cognitive dysfunction after experiencing intrusive sounds and head pressure. The US government has labeled these anomalous health incidents (AHIs). OBJECTIVE: To assess whether participants with AHIs differ significantly from US government control participants with respect to clinical, research, and biomarker assessments. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Exploratory study conducted between June 2018 and July 2022 at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, involving 86 US government staff and family members with AHIs from Cuba, Austria, China, and other locations as well as 30 US government control participants...

Direction-changing positional nystagmus (DCPN), which refers to the change in the direction of nystagmus with different head positions, is a well-known characteristic of horizontal semicircular canal BPPV. The supine head roll test is commonly used to diagnose horizontal canal BPPV. However, persistent geotropic DCPN observed during this test cannot be explained by the conventional explanations of canalolithiasis or cupulolithiasis. To account for this unique nystagmus, the concept of a "light cupula" has been recently introduced...

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to analyze the incidence and characteristics of sports-related concussions (SRCs) for a professional ice hockey team during one regular season in the International Central European Hockey League. BACKGROUND: Repeated concussions are a common cause of long periods of absence in team contact sports, with a wide range of potential short- and long-term consequences for the affected athlete. Questions mainly regarding early diagnosis and ideal follow-up treatment remain unanswered, especially regarding the timing of return to sports (RTS)...

Background : Falls and related injuries are critical issues in several disease states, as well as aging, especially when interactions between vestibular and visual sensory inputs are involved. Slow support surface tilt (0.6 deg/s) followed by subjective postural horizontal (SPH) assessments have been proposed as a viable method for assessing otolith contributions to balance control. Previous assessments of perceived body alignment to vertical, including subjective visual vertical, have suggested that visual inputs are weighted more when vestibular information is near the threshold and less reliable during slow body tilt...

BACKGROUND: There are difficult tradeoffs when designing head-mounted equipment such as helmets, lights, cameras, or virtual or augmented reality displays. Increased functionality and battery life adds weight, which in turn reduces comfort. A successful product must balance both comfort and functionality to achieve its product engagement goals. OBJECTIVE: This study defines "comfortable wear time" as a new metric, and applies it to the domain of headsets in determining the relationship between headset weight and comfort...

A 36-year-old woman with no significant medical history was in active labour and requested labour analgesia. While the epidural technique was performed at the L4-L5 interspace, using the loss of resistance to air technique (LORA), inadvertent dural puncture occurred. Since the patient reported no headache or discomfort, the same procedure was repeated at the L3-L4 interspace successfully. Loss of resistance was reported at 3 cm and the epidural catheter was advanced uneventfully at 8 cm. Aspiration was negative for blood or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and a test dose of 2 ml lidocaine 2% was administered epidurally...

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to perform a Delphi consensus for on-field and pitch-side assessment of sports related concussion (SRC). METHODS: Open-ended questions in rounds 1 and 2 were answered. The results of the first two rounds were used to develop a Likert style questionnaire for round 3. If agreement at round 3 was <80% for an item, if panel members were outside consensus or there were >30% neither agree/disagree responses, the results were carried forward into round 4...

Potential cognitive and physiological alterations due to space environments have been investigated in long-term space flight and various microgravity-like conditions, for example, head-down tilt (HDT), confinement, isolation, and immobilization. However, little is known about the influence of simulated microgravity environments on visual function. Contrast sensitivity (CS), which indicates how much contrast a person requires to see a target, is a fundamental feature of human vision. Here, we investigated how the CS changed by 1-h -30° HDT and determined the corresponding mechanisms with a perceptual template model...

Arrhythmogenic ventricular cardiomyopathy is an inherited condition mainly affecting adults. A 35-year-old Asian male patient presented with syncope while walking home. He experienced a number of episodes of light-headedness and dizziness over the past few weeks. A clinical examination found visible injuries to his face and hands. An electrocardiogram showed right axis deviation and right bundle branch block. Echocardiography showed normal biventricular function and the left ventricular ejection fraction was > 55%...

BACKGROUND: Dizziness is a common reason for referral to physiotherapy. Additional information on clinical characteristics, treatment effect and prognostic indicators in physiotherapy practice are needed. METHODS: A retrospective observational study. Based on a standardised clinical evaluation patients were labelled as having Benign Paroxysmal Positioning Vertigo (BPPV) or not (no-BPPV). BPPV was treated with repositioning manoeuvres and exercises. In no-BPPV, treatment was based on additional clinical tests...

Intraparenchymal cyst formation around a deep brain stimulation electrode is a rare complication. This is the first report of intraparenchymal cyst formation along a deep cerebellar stimulation electrode in the posterior cranial fossa. The patient was a 27-year-old man with DYT-1 early-onset isolated dystonia who received bilateral deep cerebellar stimulation. He developed dizziness, nausea, and dysarthria 1 month following the deep cerebellar stimulation surgery. Head computed tomography revealed multiple cysts along the left electrode...

INTRODUCTION: Clinically, there is a kind of patients with positional vertigo or dizziness, which occurs when they turn left or right, look down or up, lie down or sit up. With a long duration and varying frequency, it is not consistent with the manifestations of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). In addition, the persistent geotropic direction-changing positional nystagmus (PG-DCPN) was observed in a supine head-roll test. PATIENT CONCERNS: With no apparent trigger for visual rotation and a sense of self instability, an 81-year-old female patient had suffered from vertigo for 3 days...

Dizziness is a common complaint in otolaryngology clinics and can present a diagnostic challenge. A thorough history including onset, duration, and exacerbating and alleviating factors, along with physician persistence, can help differentiate between otologic and nonotologic forms of dizziness. An otologic and neurotologic physical examination, including vestibulo-ocular reflex and cranial nerve function evaluation and postural examination, can shed further light on symptom etiology. Otologic forms of dizziness often result in vertigo and may be associated with unilateral symptoms of hearing loss, aural fullness, or tinnitus...

Introduction: The present study aimed to determine whether supervised vestibular rehabilitation therapy (VRT) by physical therapists (PTs) affects subjective dizziness in patients with chronic vestibular disorders, and whether supervised VRT-induced changes in subjective dizziness are related to the changes in physical activity levels in daily life. Methods: Patients ( n = 47) with chronic peripheral vestibular disorders were randomly divided into the VRT group ( n = 25) and control group ( n = 22). Patients in the VRT group received weekly supervised visits from PTs for a period of 6 months...

INTRODUCTION: Tumarkin first described drop attacks (DA) in patients with a peripheral vestibular syndrome and speculated the role of a mechanical deformation of the otolith organs. We emphasized on the possible occurrence of vertigo/dizziness after a DA. In the light of the oculomotor examination of one patient right after the DA, we discussed on the mechanisms. We also described the management of DA. MATERIAL AND METHOD: This study included patients with definite Meni�re's disease (MD) and at least one DA without associated neurological symptoms...

BACKGROUND: Persistent postural-perceptual dizziness (PPPD) is a condition characterized by chronic subjective dizziness and exacerbated by visual stimuli or upright movement. Typical balance tests do not replicate the environments known to increase symptoms in people with PPPD-crowded places with moving objects. Using a virtual reality system, we quantified dynamic balance in people with PPPD and healthy controls in diverse visual conditions. METHODS: Twenty-two individuals with PPPD and 29 controls performed a square-shaped fast walking task (Four-Square Step Test Virtual Reality-FSST-VR) using a head-mounted-display (HTC Vive) under 3 visual conditions (empty train platform; people moving; people and trains moving)...

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented stress and fear throughout the world. AIMS: To evaluate the psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Saudi public, and to examine the performance of the Arabic version of the Four-Dimensional Symptom Questionnaire (4DSQ) scale. METHOD: We conducted an online questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey of a sample of the Saudi public. RESULTS: The study included 347 participants, who reported significantly higher levels of distress, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms and somatisation compared with a normative sample...

OBJECTIVE: An expert working group was set up at the initiative of the French Ministry of Sports with the objective of harmonising the management of sport related concussion (SRC) in France, starting with its definition and diagnosis criteria. RESULTS: Definition: A clinical definition in 4 points have been established as follows: Concussion is a brain injury: 1) caused by a direct or indirect transmission of kinetic energy to the head; 2) resulting in an immediate and transient dysfunction of the brain characterised by at least one of the following disorders: a) Loss of consciousness, b) loss of memory, c) altered mental status, d) neurological signs; 3) possibly followed by one or more functional complaints (concussion syndrome); 4) the signs and symptoms are not explained by another cause...

Background: Technology platforms that afford biomarker discovery in patients suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI) remain an unmet medical need. Here, we describe an observational pilot study to explore the utility of an alternating current electrokinetic (ACE) microchip device in this context. Methods: Blood samples were collected from participating subjects with and without minor TBI. Plasma levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), Tau, ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1), and cell-free DNA (cfDNA) were determined in subjects with and without minor TBI using ACE microchip device followed by on-chip immunofluorescent analysis...

BACKGROUND: Transient loss of consciousness (TLOC) is common among children and adolescents. The aims of this study were to identify clinical differences between patients with vasovagal syncope and those with epileptic seizures, which account for a large proportion of TLOC cases, and to evaluate the effectiveness of various diagnostic tests. METHODS: The medical records of 160 children and adolescents with TLOC were analyzed retrospectively, and age, sex, clinical symptoms, and trigger factors were recorded...