A patient diagnosed with vertigo exhibits nausea and vomiting. This could suggest which condition?

The presence of nausea and vomiting in a patient experiencing vertigo strongly suggests vestibular neuritis. This condition is characterized by the inflammation of the vestibular nerve, leading to sudden, severe episodes of vertigo, often accompanied by systemic symptoms like nausea and vomiting. These symptoms stem from the body’s response to abnormal signals from the inner ear, which can create a mismatch with the visual inputs, resulting in dizziness and associated gastrointestinal upset.

In contrast, while other conditions such as acoustic neuroma, cervical spondylosis, and benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) can be associated with vertigo, they typically do not present with severe nausea and vomiting in the same way that vestibular neuritis does. For instance, acoustic neuroma usually leads to gradual hearing loss and may not cause acute vertigo with associated nausea. Cervical spondylosis primarily affects neck mobility and may cause dizziness related to neck positioning but does not usually lead to nausea and vomiting. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is characterized by brief episodes of vertigo triggered by changes in head position, and while it can cause some discomfort, it is not commonly associated with significant nausea or vomiting like vestibular neuritis.

Thus, the combination