What causes nausea and vomiting?
Nausea and vomiting are common symptoms that can be caused by numerous conditions. Nausea and vomiting most often are due to viral gastroenteritis — often mistakenly termed "stomach flu" — or the morning sickness of early pregnancy. Many medications can cause nausea and vomiting, as can general anesthesia for surgery. Rarely, nausea and vomiting may indicate a serious or even life-threatening problem. These are controlled by the same parts of the brain that control involuntary bodily functions. Vomiting is actually a reflex triggered by a signal from the brain.
Nausea is the sensation that the stomach wants to empty itself, while vomiting or throwing up, is the act of forcible emptying of the stomach. The term "dry heaves" refers to an episode of vomiting where there is no food in the stomach to vomit, and only clear secretions are vomited.
Vomiting is a violent act in which the stomach almost turns itself inside out - forcing itself into the lower portion of the esophagus (the tube that connects the mouth to the stomach) during a vomiting episode, expelling food and secretions.
There are numerous causes of nausea and vomiting. These symptoms may be due to the following:
Acute gastritis (direct irritation of the stomach lining)
Central causes in which signals from the brain cause nausea and vomiting
Other illnesses not due to stomach problems
Medications and medical treatments
Mechanical obstruction of the bowel
Nausea and vomiting are common side effects of some medications. Usually nausea is not an allergy to a drug (which is a severe reaction that can include skin rash or trouble breathing), but an unwanted side effect of the medicine. Some medicines such as those used in cancer treatment (chemotherapy), antibiotics and strong pain killers are well known to cause nausea and vomiting.
Visit the nearest immediate medical institution, if nausea is so severe the affected individual is unable to care for him or herself, or if the vomiting is so bad the person can't keep any liquids down for more than 8 hours. #nausea #vomitting #dizziness #vertigo #headache #migraine #pain #treatment #medicine #care #doctor #physician #neurologist #neurologistinmanila #winnielimkhoo #docwinnie #manila #metromanila #philippines #health #advise #tips #patientcare
