dizziness with head pressure

[Sloaney]

My daughter is 11 years old and today while sitting at daycare, painting, she began to feel dizzy. Along with the dizziness she felt faint and had some head pressure in the forehead area. She had been outside in the heat playing 30 minutes before this occurred. they were outside for about 30 minutes. When she started to feel dizzy, she was unable to focus and began to rub her eyes when she then felt she was going to fall out of her chair. I have her at home now, and she seems to feel better. A bit of head pressure still, but now its on one side of her head abover her ear. I have taken her temperature and it's normal. Does anyone know what this could be? She has had trouble with dizziness before, but never while seated. HELP!!!!

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Welcome to the MedHelp forum!
Your daughter probably suffers from vasoval attacks, this time triggered by heat. The complex group of symptoms is mediated by the vagus nerve. This nerve is irritated by prolonged standing, standing up suddenly, stress, pain, hunger, dehydration, intense emotion etc. A tilt table test, holter monitor, echocardiogram etc are done for confirmed diagnosis. Discuss this with your doctor.
The other possibilities with headaches and lightheadedness with a feeling of passing out, could be either polycystic ovarian disease or GERD with or without H pylori infection. These are the two conditions to be ruled out first. Other conditions to be strongly ruled out could be cervical spinal nerve compression, Meniere’s disease of the ear, wax in the ear, infection of the middle or inner ear, and benign intracranial hypertension. Hence it is important to consult an ENT specialist and a neurologist too. At times back and neck problems may persist for years before they really start giving trouble. Chances of TMJ too should be looked into. Other causes are anemia, hypoglycemia or low sugar and some endocrine problems, such as an underactive thyroid (called hypothyroidism), overactive thyroid (called hyperthyroidism), adrenal insufficiency (called Addison's disease), low blood sugar levels, and in some cases, diabetes, may lead to hypotension and hence lightheadedness and an off balance feeling. It is really difficult to comment on the net. I suggest you consult your PCP to run the basic investigations and get an insight into what could be the cause. Depending on clinical examination and tests, your PCP can refer you to the appropriate specialist. Hope this helps. Please feel free to ask anything else you may want to know. Take care!

[cheshchesh819]

It could be hormones,my daughter suffered all this at the age of nine and then started her periods,go tothe docs to rule out iron problems.let me know how you get on good luck

[ct3LG]

Sounds like maybe she over did it outside in this heat. Make sure she drinks plenty of water along with some gatorade if possible. Could also be a possible inner ear infection but without any ear pain or fever this is doubtful. Please remember that severe head pain and dizziness can also be warning signs for more serious problems such as a brain aneurism, stroke, etc... If her symptoms get worse or if any new ones occur a trip to the ER may be necessary. Good Luck & Hope she feels better.

[iris986]

It sounds like she may have vertigo=dizziness, which is pressure in the ears-eustachian tubes and can also cause sinus pressure. have you tried using a decongestant like Zyrtec?