| Vomiting | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Emesis, puking, barfing, heaving, throwing up, blowing chunks, upchucking, technicolor yawn, spewing, tossing your cookies |
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| Miracle of Marco Spagnolo by Giorgio Bonola (Quadroni of St. Charles) | |
| Specialty | Gastroenterology |
| Symptoms | Nausea[1] |
| Complications | Dehydration, aspiration, electrolyte abnormalities, damage to teeth, esophageal tear[1][2] |
| Duration | 1 to 2 days[3] |
| Causes | Common: Gastroenteritis, certain medications or toxins[1] Other: Cannabis hyperemesis syndrome, cyclic vomiting syndrome, bowel obstruction, hepatitis, increased intracranial pressure, migraine, eating disorders, diabetic ketoacidosis, motion sickness, nausea and vomiting or pregnancy, appendicitis, labyrinthitis[1] Babies: Reflux, volvulus, pyloric stenosis urinary tract infection, intussusception[4] |
| Treatment | Drinking fluids, antiemetics, intravenous fluids[1][5] |
Vomiting, also known as emesis, is the involuntary, forceful expulsion of stomach contents through the mouth or nose.[1] It is associated with nausea and typically lasts a day or two.[1][3] Complications may include dehydration, aspiration, electrolyte abnormalities, damage to teeth, and an esophageal tear.[1][2] Vomiting differs from regurgitation, in that regurgitation does not involve contraction of the stomach or nausea.[1]
Common causes include gastroenteritis and certain medications or toxins.[1] Other causes include cannabis hyperemesis syndrome, cyclic vomiting syndrome, bowel obstruction, hepatitis, increased intracranial pressure, migraine, eating disorders, diabetic ketoacidosis, motion sickness, nausea and vomiting or pregnancy, appendicitis, and labyrinthitis.[1][3] In babies causes may include reflux, volvulus, pyloric stenosis urinary tract infection, and intussusception.[4]
Treatment includes trying to drink enough fluids.[5] Antiemetics pay be used to improve symptoms.[1] If dehydration is present, intravenous fluid may be useful.[1] Worrisome signs include severe abdominal pain, blood in the vomit, severe headache, signs of dehydration, and green vomit.[3] Vomiting is the reason for about 1.6% of visits to family physicians in Australia.[6]