Nausea, dizziness, wandering, ringing in the ears, blurred vision during movement and imbalance may be related to the failure or reduced functioning of one or two balance organs. Balance is your most important sense for good movement. General practitioners – but also ENT doctors – often don’t know what to do with it. Half of balance patients are misdiagnosed. The So Stoned Questionnaire can help patient and doctor to accurately map the complaints. A step in the right direction towards the right treatment.
For too long, dizziness complaints have been waved away with ‘it will pass’, ‘maybe it’s psychological’ or ‘just learn to live with it’. Fortunately, we are now seeing a change. The condition is that the problem is recognized. While reduced vision or hearing requires a direct connection with your eyes and ears, this is less obvious with the balance organ.
ENT doctor Dr. Raymond van de Berg: “It is difficult to recognize, even for (GP) doctors.” There is still a world to be won, more awareness to be achieved. “And it is also such an invisible condition,” says Marja Flipse. She has Ménière’s disease. “People around me don’t notice anything wrong with me, but sometimes I am overcome by extreme dizziness.” Triggers can be found in everyday activities: such as cycling, accelerating or braking in a car or bus, the shelves in supermarkets, bending or reaching up, cooking, walking, fallen leaves in autumn or watching television. But also unexpected loud noises or flickering lights.
From pillar to post
Another problem is that not every GP makes a referral to make a diagnosis and/or obtain treatment. Or there is a referral, but to an ENT doctor or neurologist who does not specialize in balance. Even if patients do their best to describe their complaints as best as possible, it often leads to a misdiagnosis. There may also be more than one diagnosis at the same time or it may be possible to develop another balance disorder over time, which is similar to the first, but requires a different treatment. It’s not easy.
So Stoned
The Dizziness & Balance committee of Hoormij∙NVVS, in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Floris Wuyts (UZA), worked on an update of the So Stoned questionnaire. This allows the patient to accurately identify dizziness and balance complaints. Appropriate treatment is now one step closer and there is a prospect of improved functioning in daily life.
Make balance visible
Hoormij∙NVVS asks during the internationale Balance Awareness Week (BAW) from September 17 – 23, 2023 attention to recognition of both the symptoms and the consequences of dizziness and balance disorders. And a fundraising campaign has been started, because balance patients deserve support! #BAW2023
2023-09-15 18:35:10
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