vomiting

Vomiting is when the stomach contents are ejected through the mouth.

 

Most people have vomited at least once in their lives. Though unpleasant, vomiting is often the body's way of trying to get rid of harmful toxins. There are many different causes of vomiting.

 

The healthcare professional needs to know several things when a person is vomiting, including:

 

The healthcare provider may ask other questions depending on the history and on the physical exam findings, in order to narrow the list of possible causes.

 

Any illness can cause vomiting, especially in infants. For instance, ear infections are a common cause of vomiting in infants. Influenza infection (the flu) can also cause vomiting. Other causes include: stomach or intestinal infections, such as food poisoning or gastroenteritis peptic ulcers or gastroesophageal reflux disease inflammation in or around the gut, such as appendicitis, pancreatitis, hepatitis, or gastritis blockage in the bowels, such as pyloric stenosis or duodenal atresia in infants, or small or large bowel obstruction at any agefood allergies or lactose intolerance toxins or medications, such as alcohol, many antibiotics, or chemotherapy in cancer patients acute renal (kidney) failure heart attack pregnancy, which often causes morning sickness tumors or cancer, which may be in the stomach, intestines, or in other parts of the bodyincreased intracranial pressure (that is, pressure inside the skull)certain types of uncontrolled diabetes extreme anxiety or a sense of disgust, such as from a foul odorextreme overexertion or exerciseseasickness or motion sickness migraine headaches bulimia nervosa, an eating disorder with self-induced vomiting

Prevention depends on the cause. For instance, avoiding alcohol can prevent vomiting due to alcohol. Avoiding extreme exercise can prevent vomiting due to exercise. In most settings, vomiting cannot be avoided, but can often be treated.

Sometimes, the cause of vomiting is obvious to the healthcare professional from the history and physical exam. In other cases, further testing must be done, depending on the suspected condition(s). For instance, blood tests can diagnose hepatitis, pancreatitis, and other conditions.