An important indication in diagnosing is: How long does the vertigo attack last? And how long are the intervals between individual vertigo attacks? Acute vertigo can last for only seconds but also for hours. Occasionally it disappears, only to reappear again all of a sudden. With persistent vertigo, the problem persists for days with varying severity. In cases where you have vertigo attacks occurring off and on over more than three months, experts talk about chronic vertigo. You can find the most important differences regarding the duration of vertigo here:
Acute vertigo attacks that last from seconds to minutes: e.g. with brief blood circulatory problems in the brain or with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) (usually triggered by head movements)
Episodic vertigo with a duration of minutes up to hours: e.g. with Menière’s disease or migraine-induced dizziness.
Severe prolonged vertigo with a duration of days up to weeks: e.g. neuropathia verstibularis or vestibular neuritis (acute failure of the balance system in connection with nausea).
Onset of prolonged vertigo that starts out as inconspicuous and mild but becomes more and more severe: e.g. with nerve damage in the central vestibular system (the brain regions that are responsible for processing balance information).
Chronic vertigo that continues for more than three months or recurs off and on: e.g. with MS, chronic cardiovascular disorders with impaired blood circulation, phobic postural vertigo, but also with multifactorial vertigo (vertigo in old age).
