Vomiting: Encyclopedia II - Vomiting - Causes

Vomiting - Causes

Vomiting may be due to a large number of causes, and protracted vomiting has a long differential diagnosis.

Vomiting - Digestive tract

Causes in the digestive tract:

• Gastritis (inflammation of the gastric wall, usually by viruses)
• Pyloric stenosis (in babies - this typically causes a very forceful "projectile vomiting" and is an indication for urgent surgery)
• Bowel obstruction
• Acute abdomen and/or peritonitis
• Ileus
• Cholecystitis, pancreatitis, appendicitis, hepatitis, pregnancy

Vomiting - Sensory system and brain

Causes in the sensory system:

• Movement: motion sickness (which is caused by overstimulation of the labyrinthine canals of the ear)
• Ménière's disease

Causes in the brain:

• Concussion
• Intoxication with alcohol (being sick whilst being drunk or being sick the next morning suffering from the after-effects, i.e. the hangover).
• Cerebral hemorrhage
• Brain tumors
• Benign intracranial hypertension and hydrocephalus

Metabolic disturbances (these may irritate both the stomach and the parts of the brain that coordinate vomiting):

• Hypercalcemia (high calcium levels)
• Uremia (urea accumulation, usually due to renal failure)
• Adrenal insufficiency
• Hypoglycemia

Opioids, many chemotherapy drugs and a host of other drugs may cause nausea and vomiting.

Vomiting - Other

• Self-induced
  • Eating disorders (anorexia nervosa or bulimia)
  • Sexual fetish (emetophilia)
  • To remove a poison in case such has been ingested (some poisons should not be vomited as they may be more toxic when inhaled or aspirated; it is generally considered better to ask for help before inducing vomiting)
  • Some people who are engaged in binge drinking will induce vomiting in order to make room in their stomachs for further alcohol consumption. In the United Kingdom, this practice is known as tactical chundering.
• After surgery (postoperative nausea and vomiting)
• Disagreeable sights or smells, such as decayed matter, others' vomit, metal grinding smell, etc.
• Extreme pain, such as intense headache or myocardial infarction (heart attack)
• Pregnancy (morning sickness, hyperemesis gravidarum)
• Violent emotions (including laughing)
• Cyclic vomiting syndrome (a poorly understood condition with attacks of vomiting)

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Causes", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki