Abdomen
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Vomiting
Background
Vomiting is commonly caused by gastroenteritis, food poisoning and motion sickness. However, some conditions such as outbreak of norovirus in institutions, gastroesophageal reflux disease, appendicitis, intestinal obstruction, metabolic
disturbance, head injury, cancer and many others can also cause vomiting. Drugs such as opioids and chemotherapy can induce vomiting. When caring for a vomiting elderly, it is important to prevent dehydration and look out for underlying causes.
Vomiting can be accompanied by various symptoms of different diseases:
Symptoms and signs
Diseases
Symptoms
Viral gastroenteritis, food poisoning
- Watery diarrhea (usually non-bloody – bloody diarrhea may indicate a more severe infection) - Abdominal cramps and pain - Nausea - Fever
Motion sickness
- Uneasiness - Cold sweat - Dizziness
Intestinal obstruction
- Abdominal pain - Nausea - Constipation - Inability to have a bowel movement or pass gas - Abdominal distension
Appendicitis
- Colicky pain around the belly button that shifts to the lower right quadrant usually after 6 hours - Nausea and vomiting - Constipation - Fever
