Dizziness in the elderly.

• Dizziness in the elderly can be caused by several different problems.

• Dizziness in elderly is a non-specific symptom-many older people complain that they are “dizzy” or “giddy” when they have a walking and balance problem with a major fear of falling.

• Why do I feel off-balance but not dizzy? This is a common symptom and is commonly related to a neurodegenerative walking and balance disorder that can be successfully treated with holistic multidisciplinary medical care when accurately diagnosed.

• The “woozy,” “dizzy,” “heady,” older person usually has multiple causes for these symptoms including-

  • A walking and balance disorder which gives them a perception of dizziness, when they have a fear of falling and uncertainty with balance.

  • Postural hypotension which is a drop in their standing blood pressure due to drugs or autonomic neuropathy from dementia, causing dizziness when they stand.

  • Arthritis, chronic pain and anxiety including arthritis of the cervical spine (neck vertebrae) which gives them a sense of unsteadiness or dizziness in a non-specific way.

  • Middle ear disease causing vertigo and disequilibrium with changes in posture or just turning the head.

  • Cerebellar disease (back of the brain) which controls balance

  • Drug side-effects such as sedatives, sleeping pills, anti-psychotics, anti-depressants, heart pills which can lower blood pressure or affect balance.

• What causes dizziness and lightheadedness in the elderly? It is usually multiple factors including drugs, low blood pressure and multifactorial walking and balance disorders.

• Morning dizziness in elderly is commonly caused by a drop in standing blood pressure-postural hypotension. This elderly dizzy when standing up is usually caused by drug side effects from blood pressure medications-just too much blood pressure pills or heart pills.

• Elderly blood pressure drops when standing in frail older people and those who are dehydrated, with severe heart failure, anaemia, Parkinson’s disease and diabetes. This can easily be fixed by treating the underlying causes and reducing the drug doses.

• Can low blood pressure cause confusion in the elderly? Yes it can by reducing blood flow to the brain.

• Is low blood pressure bad for elderly?-Yes it is! Low BP can cause falls, feints, fractured hips, head injury, delirium, heart attack and stroke.

• Many hospitals, Doctors and nurses still measure blood pressure incorrectly! It must be taken when the person is lying and then after standing for 5 minutes to see if there is a major drop in standing blood pressure.

• Causes of vertigo in elderly include middle ear disease and stroke disease. Repositioning exercises with physiotherapy may help positional vertigo or vestibular sedative medications.

For more information read Dr Peter Lipski’s book “Your Elderly Parents Failing Health. Is It Ageing Or A Treatable Condition”.