دانلود کتاب راهنمای بیمار درباره سرگیجه و اختلالات تعادل

Dizziness and balance disorders are among the most common complaints of patients in all areas of medicine: one in three people suffers from them once or multiple times in their life. Fortunately, in most cases today, the cause can be identified and successfully treated. However, the reality often looks quite different: time and again, we see patients in specialized outpatient clinics who have undergone an odyssey of doctor visits before a diagnosis is made and effective therapy can be initiated. The diagnosis is largely based on the symptoms the patient observes and what he/she reports to the physician. Key factors for diagnosis include the time course (episodes, acute onset, longer lasting or persisting) and triggers of the symptoms, as well as any accompanying symptoms. What does the physician do? Initially, the symptom profile is obtained through a systematic conversation. The subsequent physical examination is conducted with particular attention to balance function, eye movements, and hearing ability. Usually, only a few additional instrumental examinations are necessary to determine the cause. This should be carefully explained to the patient. Finally, the treatment and the time it takes until a meaningful improvement of the can be expected should be discussed in detail. What can patients do? In terms of therapy, it is important to carefully follow the physician’s treatment recommendations and to keep a dizziness diary documenting the symptoms in order to assess the effectiveness of the therapy and to detect any possible adverse effects of the treatment. During follow-up medical appointments, the treatment is evaluated and adjusted if necessary.