What Is BPV?
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3. What Is Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo?
BPV is also a type of vertigo that results from an inner-ear problem. Health care professionals still do not know the exact reasons why BPV occurs, but there may be an association with the prevalence of BPV and old age. What doctors do know is that BPV happens when the inner ear canals get blocked up by clumps of calcium particles, known as “canaliths” or “otoconia.” Every person’s normal ear contains these calcium crystals, but in BPV, the crystals somehow get dislodged and drift into the inner ear. With these crystals hanging out in the pool of fluid in the inner ear that affects the sense of balance, even a slight movement of the head can cause the fluid to slosh around, which creates a feeling of dizziness and vertigo.
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