A 34-year-old male presents for examination. He has a cast on his left forearm as a result of falling down the stairs 2 weeks ago. On questioning of his past and current health condition, he states that he is currently feeling dizziness, fatigue, irritability and nausea. Also 1 month before he broke his hand he had a bacterial infection in his right inner ear, he was prescribed amoxicillin pills and 1 week later he had an allergic reaction. Which one of the below mentioned is most likely to be the cause of the symptoms and must be investigated further?
Explanation
Answer: C - A vestibular disorder
This is the correct answer because vestibular (inner ear) disorders are associated with symptoms such as dizziness, imbalance, hearing changes, nausea, fatigue and anxiety. The allergic reaction in this case is not related to amoxicillin, but rather associated with changes in the inner ear fluids because of swelling of the Eustachian tube and production of fluid in the middle ear. Falling downthe stairs is a clear indication that it resulted from the person’s loss of balance due to a vestibular disorder. The fatigue and irritability are not a strong indication of a psychological disorder in this case and thus can be ruled out.
