What are the main signs and symptoms of vertigo?

The main symptom of vertigo is a spinning sensation, in which people feel as if they or things around them were rotating despite being still. This is sometimes followed by nausea and vomiting.^[1]

Depending on the type of vertigo and its root cause, other signs and symptoms can occur:

• Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
• Gradual partial or total hearing loss, in one or both ears
• Trouble focusing the eyes
• Instability, which can make it hard to stand or walk and can cause falls

Some signs and symptoms are specific to vertigo triggered by neurological problems in the brain (central vertigo) and include:

• Double vision (“diplopia”)
• Difficulty swallowing (“dysphagia”)
• Problems with keeping the eyes on track, or involuntary eye movements (“nystagmus”)
• Facial paralysis
• Slurred speech
• Limb weakness