Vomiting : Causes, Diagnosis , Types and Symptoms

A proper medical term for vomit is emesis, which is the forceful throwing of stomach content from he mouth and sometimes the nose. It is the body’s reflux triggered by several factors, like illness, food poisoning or stress. Vomiting is a temporary occurrence, but its prolonged and severe occurrence may showcase several underlying conditions.

 Most common Vomiting symptoms:

• Nausea
• Abdominal
• Fever
• Dizziness
• Retching or pseudo vomiting where nothing comes out.
• Loss of appetite
• Diarrhea
• Dry mouth
• Darker or less frequent urination
• Increased thirst

When addressing “forcefully throwing” or “forceful expulsion”, it refers to the deliberate contraction of the abdominal muscles and the diaphragm with extreme force, which pushes the contents out of the stomach.

Causes of Vomiting

• Digestive issues – Food poisoning, gastroenteritis (stomach flu), food allergies, stomach ulcers, and
• GERD are the causes of vomiting blood.
• Medication and treatment – Chemotherapy, opioids, marijuana, and antibiotics.
• Early Pregnancy – Morning sickness causes vomiting during pregnancy.
• Neurological conditions – migraine headaches, inner ear problems or head trauma.
• Motion sickness – like seasickness and other forms of motion sickness.
• Severe pain – Occurs due to kidney stones or appendicitis, and can trigger vomiting.
• Less common but more serious conditions – Diabetic ketoacidosis, intestinal obstruction, hepatitis, and
• chronic kidney disease.

When to Seek a Specialist for Your Vomiting?

Contact a specialist to seek immediate medical help if vomiting persists for more than a day in children under the age of 2, 12 hours for infants, more than 2 days in adults, or if you are unable to hold any liquids down.

• Confusion
• High fever
• Severe headache or stiff neck.
• Chest pain or shortness of breath.
• Severe abdominal pain or cramping.
• Vomiting blood, vomit resembling coffee grounds, or vomit that comes out in a green color.
• Vomit that lasts more than 1-2 days.
• Inability to maintain any fluid in the body or down the gut.
• Recent head injury.
• Unexplained weight loss.
• Fecal-smelling vomit.

Don’t wait for signs to grow severe. Consult our general physicians today

Diagnostic Approach for Vomiting

The surgeon begins by distinguishing between chronic and acute conditions and gathering key aspects of the patients, including their associated symptoms, onset and duration of the condition. They further conduct tests to identify any alarming signs such as pain, dehydration and other serious symptoms to help them guide several lab and imaging tests. Lastly, the surgeon performs targeted investigations based on clinical suspicion for specific conditions, like gastroperesis and GI malignancies.

Here’s the Specialist-Approved Diagnostic Approach:

• Distinguishing vomiting from regurgitation or rumination.
• Performing a detailed medical history and physical examination.
• Basic Lab Tests – Complete blood count (CBC), urinalysis, pregnancy test, lipase and amylase test, and comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP).
• Imaging Tests – Plain radiography, CT scan, or ultrasound, endoscopy, brain imaging, and electrocardiogram (ECG)
• Dix-Hallpike Test – Assesses vestibular dysfunction in the case of vertigo or nystagmus.
• Gastric Emptying Study – Diagnose the stomach empties the food too slowly (gastroparesis).
• Esophageal Manometry & Gastroduodenal Manometry – Evaluates chronic motility disorders of the esophagus, stomach, and small intestines.
• Upper Endoscopy (EGD) – In the suspicion of hematemesis or gastric cancer.

Types of Vomiting

Here are the two types of Vomiting classified based on:

Characteristics:

• Acute vs. Persistent
• Projectile vs. Non-projectile
• Dry Heaves

Appearances:

• Clear or white foamy vomit
• Bile-stained vomit (green/yellow)
• Coffee-ground vomit (brown)
• Bloody vomit (pink/red)

Treatment for Vomiting

Household treatment

• Eat bland foods
• Hydrate by drinking water, clear broth,
• Plenty of rest
• Ginger & peppermint tea
• Oral rehydration solution (ORS)
• Acupressure
• Avoid triggers, which include spicy, fatty, sweet, and greasy foods as well as caffeine, alcohol and strong odors.

Medical treatment

• Treating the underlying cause, such as gastrointestinal disorders and infections.
• Take the specialists’ prescribed medications.
  Intravenous (IV) fluids
• Over-the-counter medications, including antiemetics, may help with motion sickness, and Pepto-Bismol may help with indigestion.

What if Vomiting is Left Untreated?

If vomiting is left untreated, it can lead to several complications, like severe dehydration, which may later become life-threatening, especially in infants, young children, the elderly, and those with serious underlying conditions. Untreated vomiting can indicate or result in severe conditions, like kidney failure, low blood volume, increased heart rate, and also acts as a triggering factor for seizures in some patients, and in extreme cases, plays a role as a contributing factor to an altered mental state.

The patients with impaired reflexes, heavily sedated, and unconscious may even experience life-threatening issues, like aspiration, where the stomach contents enter the airways and lungs, causing choking, infections, airway obstruction, and chemical pneumonitis.

Here are other potential complications of untreated Vomiting:

• Severe dehydration – It may lead to kidney failure, shock, irregular heartbeat, confusion and drowsiness.
• Esophageal damage – Acidic or forceful vomit, esophagitis, bleeding in the easophagus, esophageal tears (Mallory-Weiss tears).
• Electrolyte imbalances can lead to muscle cramps and irregular heartbeats.
• Nutritional deficiencies and metabolic problems.
• Dental problems – Vomit can erode tooth enamel and can increase the risk of cavities.

Have any questions or concerns about your health? We’re here to help! Call us at +918065906165  for expert advice and support.