What is it about ?
Nausea is the feeling of having to vomit (deliver), which is not followed by vomiting. It results in a feeling of discomfort in the stomach area. The term comes from the Latin “nausea” or the Greek “nautia”, which denote seasickness, a form of nausea that is triggered by movement.
Vomiting is a forced emptying of the stomach that cannot be held back.
Nausea and vomiting are not illnesses, but signs of illness. They can be caused by a large number of diseases. The most common cause is ‘stomach flu’ (gastroenteritis). The longer the symptoms persist, the greater the risk that they are due to serious illness.
What is their frequency?
Who has never had nausea in their life? Who has never vomited? Nausea and vomiting are extremely common.
How to recognize them?
The symptoms speak for themselves, but it’s often difficult to pinpoint the cause.
A few questions can help you:
- When does vomiting occur?
- Anytime or right after a meal?
- What does vomit look like? Does it contain blood?
- Did the symptoms come on suddenly or have they been around for some time?
- Do you have other symptoms such as fever, diarrhea or headache?
- Are you pregnant ?
- Have you lost weight?
- Have you traveled to countries where hygiene conditions are insufficient?
- Do other people around you have the same symptoms?
- Do you regularly drink alcohol or have you recently started taking new medications?
How is the diagnosis made?
Often the doctor will initially opt for a cautious wait. He will schedule additional examinations if there are any alarming signs or persistent complaints. In this case, he will ask you a series of questions and perform a general clinical examination. Depending on his observations, he will order one or more additional examinations: a blood, urine and / or stool analysis, an electrocardiogram (ECG), an abdominal ultrasound and radiography, an endoscopy of the stomach (gastroscopy) . If necessary, he will refer you to the hospital.
What can you do ?
It is usually sufficient to allow a few days to pass. A common gastroenteritis heals on its own. Choose light meals that are not very generous. Avoid raw vegetables. Try to drink enough, preferably water.
What can your doctor do?
At first, treatment is purely symptomatic. Your doctor will just prescribe medicine for nausea or vomiting. Domperidone and metoclopramide are two widely used drugs. They were once over the counter. But, since 2013, they are only available by prescription, as it has been discovered that they can cause serious heart rhythm disturbances in some people. Only the doctor can decide if you can use them.
Want to know more?
- Domperidone – CBIP – Belgian Center for Pharmacotherapeutic Information
- Metoclopramide – CBIP – Belgian Center for Pharmacotherapeutic Information
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