Nausea and vomiting are common signs and symptoms that can be caused by numerous conditions.
Nausea and vomiting most often are due to viral gastroenteritis — often mistakenly called stomach flu — or the morning sickness of early pregnancy. Rarely, nausea and vomiting may indicate a serious or even life-threatening problem.
Causes
Nausea and vomiting may occur separately or together.
Common causes include:
- Chemotherapy
- Gastroparesis
- General anesthesia
- Intestinal obstruction
- Migraine
- Morning sickness in pregnant
- Motion sickness: First aid
- Rotavirus
- Viral gastroenteritis (stomach flu)
- Vestibular neuritis
Other possible causes of nausea and vomiting include:
- Acute liver failure
- Alcohol use disorder
- Anaphylaxis (a severe allergic reaction)
- Anorexia nervosa
- Appendicitis
- Brain tumor
- Cholecystitis
- Depression (major depressive disorder)
- Dizziness
- Ear infection (middle ear)
- Fever
- Food poisoning
- Gallstones
- Heart attack
- Heart failure
- Hepatitis
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Medications (including aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, oral contraceptives, digitalis, narcotics and antibiotics)
- Meningitis
- Pancreatitis (pancreas inflammation)
- Severe pain
When to see a doctor
Seek prompt medical attention if nausea and vomiting are accompanied by other warning signs, such as:
- Chest pain
- Severe abdominal pain or cramping
- Blurred vision
- Confusion
- High fever and stiff neck
- Fecal material or fecal odor in the vomit
- Rectal bleeding
Ask someone to drive you to urgent care or an emergency room if:
- Nausea and vomiting are accompanied by pain or a severe headache, especially if you haven't had this type of headache before
- You have signs or symptoms of dehydration — excessive thirst, dry mouth, infrequent urination, dark-colored urine and weakness, or dizziness or lightheadedness upon standing
- Your vomit contains blood, resembles coffee grounds or is green
Make an appointment with your doctor if:
- Vomiting lasts more than two days for adults, 24 hours for children under age 2 or 12 hours for infants
- You've had bouts of nausea and vomiting for longer than one month
- You've experienced unexplained weight loss along with nausea and vomiting
Source:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/nausea/basics/definition/sym-20050736
