child

Vertigo in children is a real challenge to diagnose for a number of reasons.  First, children often simply don’t realize what’s going on, or they have trouble describing it.  Second, vertigo can be a challenge to diagnose anyway, because there are many causes.

One of the major causes is migraine.  An article out of Germany recently suggested that migraine may account for 50% of vertigo cases in children.  Other causes may be epilepsy, motion sickness, and other diseases and syndromes, even tumours.

To get to the bottom of vertigo in children, it’s important to watch your child carefully and listen to what he/she is saying.  Also, make sure your doctor takes the time to understand the medical history of the child.  Also, the doctor must take the time to find out about other symptoms – loss of coordination, hearing loss or ringing in the ears, falls, changes in behaviour, and problems with movement patterns.

Vertigo should never be ignored, because it can be a sign of a very serious condition.  Catching these conditions, including migraine, early, can be a great help in treatment.