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Causes
By Mayo Clinic staffNausea and vomiting may occur separately or together. Common causes include:
- Chemotherapy
- Gastroparesis (poor functioning of stomach muscles)
- General anesthesia
- Migraine
- Motion sickness: First aid
- Overdose of alcohol, illicit substances or toxic substances
- Rotavirus
- Vertigo (false sense of motion or spinning)
- Viral gastroenteritis (stomach flu)
Other possible causes of nausea and vomiting include:
- Addison's disease
- Alcoholic hepatitis
- Anaphylaxis
- Anorexia nervosa
- Appendicitis
- Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)
- Brain AVM (arteriovenous malformation)
- Brain hemorrhage
- Brain infarction
- Brain tumor
- Bulimia nervosa
- Chronic kidney failure
- Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (condition that limits adrenal function)
- Crohn's disease
- Cyclic vomiting syndrome
- Depression (major depression)
- Diabetic ketoacidosis
- Dizziness
- Ear infection (middle ear)
- Food poisoning
- Frontal lobe seizures
- Gallstones
- Generalized anxiety disorder
- GERD
- Head injury
- Heart attack
- Heart failure
- Hirschsprung's disease
- Hydrocephalus
- Hyperparathyroidism (overactive parathyroid)
- Hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid)
- Hypoparathyroidism (underactive parathyroid)
- Intestinal ischemia
- Intestinal obstruction
- Intracranial hematoma
- Intussusception (in children)
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Liver cancer
- Liver failure
- Meniere's disease
- Meningitis
- Milk allergy (in infants and children)
- Nonulcer stomach pain
- Pancreatic cancer
- Pancreatitis
- Peptic ulcer
- Porphyria
- Pseudotumor cerebri
- Pyloric stenosis (in infants)
- Radiation therapy
- Retroperitoneal fibrosis
- Social anxiety disorder (social phobia)
- Stomach obstruction
- Strep throat (in children)
- Temporal lobe seizure
- Traumatic brain injury
Causes shown here are commonly associated with this symptom. Work with your doctor or other health care professional for an accurate diagnosis.
References
- Longstreth GF. Approach to the adult with nausea and vomiting. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 4, 2011.
- Scorza K, et al. Evaluation of nausea and vomiting. American Family Physician. 2007;76:76.
- Di Lorenzo C. Approach to the infant or child with nausea and vomiting. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 4, 2011.
- Shakil A, et al. Gastrointestinal complications of diabetes. American Family Physician. 2008;77:1697.
- Smith JA, et al. Treatment of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (hyperemesis gravidarum and morning sickness). http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 4, 2011.
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