Dizziness is used to describe several distinct sensations. Doctors usually do not use the term because it's imprecise. It includes:
- Vertigo - the feeling that the environment is spinning around a person, even though they are motionless
- Disequilibrium - the feeling of being off balance
- Lightheadedness or Presyncope - feeling faint with accompanying muscle weakness of the muscles supporting the body's weight
The most common cause of these symptoms is conflicting information from the eyes and the inner ear, both of which play a part in balance and equilibrium. Next most common are the diseases that usually cause fainting, such as overexertion and dehydration. After that, the cause is most often mental illness. Less commonly, the cause is a lesion of the central nervous system. There are other causes.
Several diseases and conditions present with dizziness such as migraines, multiple sclerosis, pregnancy, low blood pressure, anemia, hypoglycemia, panic attacks, hyperventilation, anxiety, and depression.