On rare occasion, a vestibular disorder may have a cardiovascular cause. In such cases, the individual may experience syncope, shortness of breath, and/ or heart palpitations.

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While by definition vestibular disorders are typically caused by damage or underdevelopment to the inner ear, some vestibular disorders may be caused by unusual experiences and/or damage/ malformation/ disorder elsewhere in the body.

Causes of Vestibular Disorders/ Disabilities

Babu, Seilesh, Christopher A Schutt, and Dennis I Bojrab, eds. 2019. Diagnosis and Treatment of Vestibular Disorders. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97858-1.

 Diagnosis and Treatment of Vestibular Disorders

Cardiovascular Origins of Vestibular Disorders

A stoke in the brainstem can cause symptoms associated with vestibular disorders. Strong dizziness associated with dysarthria, hoarseness, or diplopia is a symptom of brainstem-centered stroke. Doctors specializing in vestibular disorders typically attempt to rule this out quite quickly as individuals who have had a brainstem stroke must go through specialized care to aid brainstem function recovery.

Brainstem Stroke as the Origin of Vestibular Disorders/ Symptoms

Panic attacks can have symptoms similar to vestibular disorders, particularly the presence of strong vertigo. Doctors will often attempt to rule this out as mental disorders/ mood disorders/ anxiety disorders will require different care than other sources of vestibular disorder. Symptoms that often co-occur with vertigo that may have panic attacks/ disorders as the root cause include diaphoresis, dyspnea, and a sense of impending doom.

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