Medical Health Encyclopedia

Nausea and vomiting

Most of the time, nausea and vomiting do not require urgent medical attention. However, if the symptoms continue for days, they are severe, or you cannot keep down any food or fluids, you may have a more serious condition.

Dehydration is the main concern with most vomiting. How fast you become dehydrated depends on your size, frequency of vomiting, and whether you also have diarrhea.

Common Causes:

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The following are possible causes of vomiting:

• Viral infections
• Medications
• Seasickness or motion sickness
• Migraine headaches
• Morning sickness during pregnancy
• Food poisoning
• Food allergies
• Brain tumors
• Chemotherapy in cancer patients
• Bulimia
• Alcoholism

• Congenital pyloric stenosis, a constriction in the outlet from the stomach (the infant vomits forcefully after each feeding but otherwise appears to be healthy)
• Food allergies or milk intolerance
• Gastroenteritis (infection of the digestive tract that usually causes vomiting with diarrhea)
• Gastroesophageal reflux
• An inborn error of metabolism
• Hole in the bottle nipple may be wrong size, leading to overfeeding
• Infection, often accompanied by fever or runny nose
• Intestinal obstruction, evidenced by recurring attacks of vomiting and crying or screaming as if in great pain
• Accidentally ingesting a drug or poison

Call the doctor immediately or take the child to an emergency care facility if you suspect poisoning or drug ingestion!

References:

Koch KL. Nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. Gastroenterol Clin North Am. 2003; 32(1): 201-234, vi.

Quigley EM. AGA technical review on nausea and vomiting. Gastroenterology. 2001; 120(1): 263-286.

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