vertigo

vertigo , sensations of moving in space or of objects moving about a person and the resultant difficulty in maintaining equilibrium. True vertigo, as distinguished from faintness, lightheadedness, and other forms of dizziness, occurs as a result of a disturbance of some part of the body's balancing mechanism, located in the inner ear (e.g., vestibule, semicircular canals, auditory nerves). Labyrinthitis, or infection and irritation of the middle and inner ear, is a common cause of vertigo. Elimination of infectious, toxic, or environmental factors underlying the disturbance is essential for permanent relief.

vertigo (vert-i-goh) n. a disabling sensation in which affected individuals feel that either they themselves or their surroundings are in a state of constant movement. It is a symptom of disease either in the labyrinth of the inner ear or in the vestibular nerve or its nuclei in the brainstem. See also benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

vertigo Dizziness, often accompanied by nausea. Due to disruption of the sense of balance, it may be produced by ear disorder, reduced flow of blood to the brain caused by altitude, emotional upset, or spinning rapidly.