Cause	Description
Peripheral causes
Acute labyrinthitis	Inflammation of the labyrinthine organs caused by viral or bacterial infection
Acute vestibular neuronitis (vestibular neuritis)*	Inflammation of the vestibular nerve, usually caused by viral infection
Benign positional paroxysmal vertigo (benign positional vertigo)	Transient episodes of vertigo caused by stimulation of vestibular sense organs by canalith; affects middle-age and older patients; affects twice as many women as men
Cholesteatoma	Cyst-like lesion filled with keratin debris, most often involving the middle ear and mastoid
Herpes zoster oticus (Ramsay Hunt syndrome)	Vesicular eruption affecting the ear; caused by reactivation of the varicellazoster virus
Ménière’s disease (Ménière’s syndrome, endolymphatic hydrops)	Recurrent episodes of vertigo, hearing loss, tinnitus, or aural fullness caused by increased volume of endolymph in the semicircular canals
Otosclerosis	[ corrected] Abnormal growth of bone in the middle ear, leading to immobilization of the bones of conduction and a conductive hearing loss; this process also may affect the cochlea, leading to tinnitus, vertigo, and sensorineural hearing loss
Perilymphatic fistula	Breach between middle and inner ear often caused by trauma or excessive straining
Central causes
Cerebellopontine angle tumor	Vestibular schwannoma (i.e., acoustic neuroma) as well as infratentorial ependymoma, brainstem glioma, medulloblastoma, or neurofibromatosis
Cerebrovascular disease such as transient ischemic attack or stroke	Arterial occlusion causing cerebral ischemia or infarction, especially if affecting the vertebrobasilar system
Migraine	Episodic headaches, usually unilateral, with throbbing accompanied by other symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, photophobia, or phonophobia; may be preceded by aura
Multiple sclerosis	Demyelinization of white matter in the central nervous system
Other causes
Cervical vertigo	Vertigo triggered by somatosensory input from head and neck movements
Drug-induced vertigo	Adverse reaction to medications
Psychological	Mood, anxiety, somatization, personality, or alcohol abuse disorders