Med First ENT Centre

The Corona Virus - SARS CoV-2 causes the disease Covid-19. This is similar to a virus named HIV causing the disease AIDS. Currently, there is no known treatment for Covid - 19. There is an intense amount of research but there is no definite breakthrough.  Molecules to treat diseases take years of testing - Lab, Animal studies, Human trials before they are declared to be fit for human use. The suddenness and the severity of the Coronavirus has given us very little time to develop a new molecule. In this situation various treatments which were successful against Viruses of a similar nature in the past are being tried out - a process called "Repurposing" - a strategy for off label use of known drugs. To understand treatment strategies for Covid-19 we must break the disease into its stages - because treatment is different at each stage. Asymptomatic and Pre Symptomatic patients The good news is that in a large majority of patients there are no symptoms. Apart f...

Vertigo, Dizziness, Giddiness, Imbalance are complex related symptoms that can trouble the patient as well as confound and confuse the clinician trying to make sense of it. Vertigo is typically the sensation that the world around you is spinning or sometimes that the world around you is steady but you are spinning around. The imbalance is usually a different symptom in which there is a sense of swaying to one side, loss of confidence in walking, especially on unsteady surfaces or at night. There are many causes of true vertigo - from BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo), Meniere's Disease, Vestibular Neuritis, Labyrinthitis, Migraine associated Vertigo, Drug-induced Vertigo etc.  One of the most critical aspects in diagnosing a patient with Vertigo is to take a thorough history of the Vertigo itself- When does it occur, what precipitates it, how long does it last, what makes it better, is there accompanying nausea/ vomiting, is it accompanied with headache/s e...

The sensation of the surroundings moving about or the feeling of yourself moving around when the background remains still is Vertigo. It is a common ENT symptom for which patients seek treatment. At the outset, there are some similar sensations which must be distinguished from Vertigo Lightheadedness - momentary sensation of fainting when you feel you may lose consciousness. There is no true rotatory sensation and it is usually related to the blood vessels. Imbalance - The sensation of being unable to maintain balance or swaying to one side or another - this is usually related to some problem with the cerebellar part of the brain or its connections. Syncope - a momentary loss of consciousness. this is usually related to momentary stoppage of circulation to the brain. For a patient to be diagnosed to be having true vertigo, there must be a sensation of objects moving around, either horizontally or vertically. Vertigo is a Symptom and not a Disease. O...