What causes dizziness? 84 possible conditions

Dizziness is the feeling of being lightheaded, woozy, or unbalanced. It affects the sensory organs, specifically eyes and ears. It can cause fainting. Dizziness is not a disease but a symptom of other disorders. Vertigo and disequilibrium may cause a... Read more

See a list of possible causes in order from the most common to the least.

1

Low Blood Sugar (Hypoglycemia)

This condition is considered a medical emergency. Urgent care may be required.

Also known as hypoglycemia, low blood sugar can be a dangerous condition. Hypoglycemia is rare in people who are not suffering from diabetes, the chronic disease that affects the body's ability to regulate blood sugar...

Labyrinthitis

Labyrinthitis is an inner ear disorder in which a nerve that detects head movement becomes inflamed. Symptoms include dizziness, vertigo, and nausea.

Hypotension

Hypotension is the medical term for low blood pressure. Low blood pressure is good in most cases, but it may lead to fatigue, dizziness, or even loss of consciousness. It can be a symptom of an underlying condition.

Menieres Disease

Meniere's disease is a disorder of the inner ear. It's not known what causes it, but there are a variety of treatments available to help with the symptoms.

High Blood Pressure Overview

High blood pressure (hypertension) increases your risk for heart attack, stroke, coronary heart disease, and other serious health problems.

Abnormal Heart Rhythms

This condition is considered a medical emergency. Urgent care may be required.

An abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia) is a change in the heart's beating pattern. There are many different types with different causes and effects. Possible symptoms are feeling faint, chest pain, and sweating.

Stroke Overview

This condition is considered a medical emergency. Urgent care may be required.

A stroke (a "brain attack") is a medical emergency in which part of the brain is deprived of oxygen. This occurs when an artery that supplies oxygenated blood to the brain becomes damaged and brain cells begin to die.

Heart Attack Overview

This condition is considered a medical emergency. Urgent care may be required.

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A clot blocks the blood flow to the heart (heart attack), and damages heart muscle. Symptoms include chest pain, shortness of breath, and a blue or grey tinge to the skin.

Bleeding

This condition is considered a medical emergency. Urgent care may be required.

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Bleeding can refer to blood loss inside the body (internal bleeding) or blood loss outside of the body (external bleeding). It can cause bruising, pain, and symptoms of shock. Too much bleeding can lead to death.

Hyperventilation

Hyperventilation happens when you suddenly start breathing very quickly. Exhaling more than you inhale causes low carbon dioxide levels.

Dehydration

This condition is considered a medical emergency. Urgent care may be required.

Dehydration occurs when you lose more fluid than you drink. The most common cause of water loss from the body is excessive sweating. Headaches, dizziness, and decreased urination are symptoms.

Panic Disorder

Panic disorder is a condition chararcterized by persistent anxiety and recurrent panic attacks. Sweating or chills are possible signs of a panic attack.

Motion Sickness

Motion sickness is a sensation of wooziness that usually occurs when someone is traveling by car, boat, plane, or train. It can cause an upset stomach, nausea, cold sweats, dizziness, and headache.

Heat Emergencies

This condition is considered a medical emergency. Urgent care may be required.

Heat emergencies are health crises caused by exposure to hot weather and sun. Heat emergencies have three stages: heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heatstroke.

Beriberi

Beriberi is a term used for vitamin B1, or thiamine, deficiency. Vitamin B1 is found in foods like milk, beans, vegetables, meat, and whole grains.

Hypovolemic Shock

This condition is considered a medical emergency. Urgent care may be required.

Hypovolemic shock is a life-threatening condition that results when you lose more than 20 percent (one-fifth) of your body's blood or fluid supply. This severe fluid loss makes it impossible for the heart to pum...

Middle Ear Infection

A middle ear infection (otitis media), occurs when a virus or bacteria causes the area behind the eardrum to become inflamed. It is most common in children.

Hypothermia

Hypothermia is a condition that occurs when your body temperature drops below 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Major complications can result from this drop in temperature, including death. Hypothermia is particularly dangerou...

Vertebrobasilar Circulatory Disorders

This condition is considered a medical emergency. Urgent care may be required.

Vertebrobasilar circulatory disorders are a group of diseases in which not enough blood is supplied to the back of the brain. Symptoms depend on the cause, but may include vision and sleep problems, dizziness, and more.

Cold and Flu Overview

Common colds and influenza are contagious infections that affect the respiratory system. Both are airborne illnesses, spread through coughing and sneezing. Shared symptoms include headache, cough, sore throat, and more.

Benign Positional Vertigo

Benign positional vertigo (BPV) is the most common cause of vertigo. An episode is generally triggered by changing the position of your head.

Ventricular Tachycardia

This condition is considered a medical emergency. Urgent care may be required.

Ventricular tachycardia (VT) is a very fast heartbeat caused by a malfunction of the heart's pacing mechanism. VT can occur with or without heart disease. Symptoms include fainting, dizziness, and more.

Whiplash

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Whiplash occurs when a person's head moves backward and then forward very suddenly with great force. This injury is most common following a car collision.

Caffeine Overdose

The recommended amount of caffeine is usually 400 mg per day for healthy adults. Caffeine overdose may occur if you ingest more than this amount.

Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia (PSVT)

This condition is considered a medical emergency. Urgent care may be required.

People with paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PVST) experience a faster-than-normal heart rate. Learn more about the symptoms and risk factors.

Atrial Flutter

Atrial flutter (AFL) is a type of abnormal heart rate, or arrhythmia. It occurs when the upper chambers of your heart (the atria) beat too fast. When the top of your heart (atria) beats faster than the botto...

Epidural Hematoma

This condition is considered a medical emergency. Urgent care may be required.

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An epidural hematoma occurs when blood fills the area between the skull and the protective covering of the brain. It usually results from a traumatic injury to the head, and puts you at risk for brain damage or death.

Pregnancy

Bleeding or spotting, increased need to urinate, tender breasts, fatigue, nausea, and missed period are signs of pregnancy.

Atrial Fibrillation and Flutter

Atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter are irregular heart rhythms that occur when the upper chambers of your heart (the atria) beat too fast.Atrial fibrillation can be sustained or can occur in bursts. It creates a...

Mini Stroke (Transient Ischemic Attack)

This condition is considered a medical emergency. Urgent care may be required.

During a transient ischemic attack (TIA, mini stroke) blood stops flowing to the brain for a short period of time. TIA doesn't kill brain cells like a stroke does. TIA causes symptoms that mimic those of a stroke.

Arteriosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is a narrowing of the arteries caused by a buildup of plaque. It's also called arteriosclerosis or hardening of the arteries.

Ectopic Pregnancy

This condition is considered a medical emergency. Urgent care may be required.

Ectopic pregnancies occur when a fertilized egg fails to attach to the uterus. In most ectopic pregnancies, the egg will attach to the fallopian tubes. Less common, it may also attach to the abdominal cavity or cervix...

Pulmonary Embolism

This condition is considered a medical emergency. Urgent care may be required.

A pulmonary embolism is a blood clot that affects blood flow to the lungs. It can damage part of the lung due to restricted blood flow, decrease blood oxygen. The most common symptom is shortness of breath.

The Catastrophy of Cardiac Tamponade

This condition is considered a medical emergency. Urgent care may be required.

Cardiac tamponade is a condition where the sac that encases your heart fills with fluid and then puts pressure on your heart. This undue pressure keeps the heart from filling with blood properly. When this happens, th...

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

This condition is considered a medical emergency. Urgent care may be required.

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The aorta carries blood from your heart down to your abdomen, legs, and pelvis. Swollen aortic walls in the abdomen is known as an abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Viral Gastroenteritis

Viral gastroenteritis, also known as the stomach flu, is caused by a number of different viruses. Its symptoms usually last for two to three days.

Common Cold Overview

The common cold is a virus that involves symptoms like sneezing, a runny nose and a headache. Learn the causes, symptoms and treatments for the common cold now!

Peptic Ulcer

Peptic ulcers are painful sores in the lining of the stomach, esophagus, or small intestine. Peptic ulcers are a fairly common health problem.

Toxic Megacolon

This condition is considered a medical emergency. Urgent care may be required.

Toxic megacolon is a rare, life-threatening widening of the large intestine and is usually a complication of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia is an eating disorder in which obsessive worry about body weight and the food you eat can result in severe weight loss. Symptoms include constipation, missed period, and thinning hair.

This feature is for informational purposes only and should not be used to diagnose.
Please consult a healthcare professional if you have health concerns.

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