Symptoms:

The primary symptom is a sensation that you or the room is moving or spinning. The spinning sensation may cause nausea and vomiting in some people.

Other symptoms can include:

• Difficulty focusing the eyes
• Dizziness
• Hearing loss in one ear
• Loss of balance
• Ringing in the ears

If you have vertigo due to problems in the brain (central vertigo), you will usually other symptoms from the underlying conditions. They may include:

• Difficulty swallowing
• Double vision
• Eye movement problems
• Facial paralysis
• Slurred speech
• Weakness of the limbs

Signs and tests:

A physical exam may reveal:

• Eye movement problems or involuntary eye movements (nystagmus)
• Lack of coordination and balance
• Difficulty walking
• Hearing loss
• Weakness

Tests to determine the cause of vertigo may include:

• Blood tests
• Brainstem auditory evoked potential studies
• Caloric stimulation
• Electroencephalogram (EEG)
• Electronystagmography
• Head CT
• Lumbar puncture
• MRI scan of head and MRA scan of blood vessels of the brain