In some cases, symptoms persist for years. However, after the symptoms have gone, some people have recurrences of symptoms months or years later. The solid fragments (otoconia) may dissolve or float out from the posterior semicircular canal and lodge in the vestibule where they cause no symptoms.

In most cases, the symptoms clear away within several weeks or months. Many people who develop BPPV realise which head movements trigger their symptoms and so instinctively avoid doing those movements. The nausea may last an hour or so even though the vertigo lasts just seconds.īetween episodes of BPPV you feel well. With each episode of vertigo you may feel sick but people rarely vomit. Sometimes just looking up triggers an episode of vertigo. For example, getting out of bed and rolling over in bed are two of the most common movements that trigger a short episode of vertigo. The vertigo is usually triggered by a change in head position. It then goes away completely if you keep your head still. The vertigo lasts just a short time - typically just for 20-30 seconds and usually no longer than a minute. What are the symptoms of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo? Women are affected about twice as often as men. Sometimes it occurs in younger people for no apparent reason. However, some younger people develop BPPV following an injury to the ear, or following a previous infection in the inner ear. BPPV is one of the most common causes of vertigo in older people. Most cases of BPPV occur in people over the age of 40 years. It is not clear why these otoconia form or drop off from the inside lining of the labyrinth. The brain becomes very confused and reacts with vertigo. The extra nerve messages sent from the affected ear conflict with the normal messages sent from the other unaffected ear and from the eyes and the rest of the body. The fragment brushes along the delicate hairs that line the semicircular canal and this bombards messages down the vestibular nerve. But when the head moves in certain directions the fragment gets carried along with the flow of fluid. In this situation, when your head is still, the fragment sits at the bottom of the posterior canal. The posterior canal is the one that is affected 8 or 9 times out of 10.

Bppv vertigo