Q: The question is regarding my mother. She is 56 years old and has a long standing problem of dizziness. The problem started around 2.5 years ago. She feels dizzy throughout the day, particularly during mornings. She feels unstable while walking (always feels that she is standing upon a pillow). She has hypertension and is being treated for the same. The doctor says her BP is checked and the problem is not due to that. She had a burn injury (17%) 3 years back and had been hospitalized for some time. The problem started a few months after the incident. She has been tested for vestibular disorder. But nothing wrong had been reported. She had also undergone an MRI scan and again - no abnormality has been detected. Please advise.

A:Dizziness is a symptom of many disorders and clinical examination is required to find the cause in a particular case. In your mothers case, it may be related to the anti-hypretensive medication. At times there is a drop in blood pressure on sitting or standing. As a result the blood flow to brain decreases which may cause dizziness. Check her BP in lying and standing positions. Although she has been evaluated for vestibular disorder and no abnormality has been found, it may still be the cause of her dizziness. A short course of anti-vertigo medicines may be tried under medical supervision.