Many are interested in what vomiting is, its causes, symptoms, treatment and consequences. Vomiting is a reflex action, which is characterized by uncontrolled release of the contents of the stomach and intestines from the body. Usually, vomit comes out through the mouth, but in case of excessive amounts or with severe vomiting, it can flow into the nose. It is noteworthy that spasms of the muscle that causes vomiting cannot be controlled by a person. About what vomiting is, let's talk further.
Mechanism
The human diaphragm descends, there is a contraction of the stomach area where it is combined with the duodenum. This process is called antiperistalsis. Further, there is a contraction of the abdominal muscles and relaxation of the muscles of the stomach. The entrance to the stomach opens, the esophagus expands, due to which the contents of the stomach begin to involuntarily enter the mouth.
The reflex act of vomiting is regulated by a special center, which is located inside the medulla oblongata. Studying treatments, symptoms, causesThis condition is a field in medicine - emetology.
Also in the brain there is a department located in the fourth ventricle. This is the chemoreceptor zone, which has opioid, dopamine and serotonin receptors. Signals to this zone come through the cerebrospinal fluid and blood. When this area is activated, the vomiting center is stimulated.
Before vomiting, a person begins a pre-eruption phase, consisting of various somatic and vegetative symptoms: a feeling of the presence of a foreign body appears in the throat, heaviness appears in the epigastric region, salivation increases, tachycardia, increased sweating, and pupils dilate.
The urge to vomit is a rhythmic diaphragmatic movement with the glottis closed. Thus, the abdominal, gastric, intestinal, and respiratory muscles are involved in the vomiting act.
Reasons
Vomiting is not an independent disease, it is a symptom that occurs due to a variety of pathological diseases and complex conditions. Conventionally, the causes of the resulting gag reflex are divided into the following:
1. Diseases of the digestive system:
- Acute gastroenteritis, in which the intestines and stomach are affected by pathologies of an infectious type.
- Diseases of the esophagus: acute gastroenteritis and stenosis of the esophagus (narrowing of its lumen), which can occur due to malignancy, chemical type burns.
- Diseases of the pancreas.
- Pathologies of the stomach:ulcer, poisoning, gastritis.
- Liver disease: tumor or hepatitis.
2. Cerebral (brain). These are pathologies that affect the brain and arise as a result of an infectious infection (meningitis), the development of a malignant tumor, and a traumatic brain injury.
3. Metabolic vomiting appears in a person with a pathology of the organ of balance (the labyrinth of the inner ear).
4. Infectious-toxic occurs due to the toxic effect of a viral or bacterial infection.
5. Psychogenic vomiting occurs due to psycho-emotional stress. In addition, it may indicate the development of a more severe disease in the patient:
- bulimia - an ailment that is accompanied by an increase in appetite with severe soreness and weakness in the abdomen;
- anorexia nervosa - unwillingness to eat, in which weight loss is noted.
6. Increased intracranial or arterial (blood) pressure.
7. Endocrine or metabolic factors such as:
- Addison's disease, in which the adrenal glands cannot produce their own hormones;
- hyperthyroidism, which affects the thyroid gland and is manifested by an increase in the level of hormones in the patient's blood.
Vomiting without fever or diarrhea can also be caused by radiation used to treat cancer.
Symptoms
In almost every case, vomiting occurs after the onset of nausea. When a person vomits, the skin may turn paleintegument, increased heart rate (tachycardia), increased sweating, salivation, and dizziness.
In addition, the patient may be troubled by weakness and trembling, often with pain in the head. A single or frequently repeated gag reflex in especially severe cases and with excessive volume can lead to the development of dehydration.
Diagnosis
Usually, the definition of vomiting does not cause much difficulty. If it is impossible to find out its cause, a complete examination of the patient should be carried out. As a rule, the specialist obeys the following algorithm of actions:
- Analysis of the patient's complaints and medical history: the doctor should clarify how long the person has been vomiting, how often it occurs, whether it becomes easier after vomiting, whether this symptom is associated with eating, and what is the nature of the discharged masses and their volume.
- Lifestyle analysis: the doctor finds out whether the patient has had abdominal operations and infections, food poisoning, whether his weight has changed in the last two weeks.
- Specialist examines the patient, which determines the presence of signs of infectious diseases and poisoning, measures body temperature. In addition, the doctor assesses the general condition of the patient: measures blood pressure, pulse, reflexes and respiratory rate, as well as the degree of dehydration. Also reveals signs of diseases of the intestines and stomach: change in stool, enlarged liver, bloating, and possible tension in the peritoneum.
- Specialist appoints laboratory tests of urine and bloodpatient to identify possible comorbidities.
- Instrumental diagnostic methods include:
- X-ray using barium contrast. Contrast is a special substance that makes gastrointestinal defects as clear as possible, excluding obstruction in the stomach and intestines.
- Ultrasound of the abdominal organs, which allows you to determine the size and condition of the lymph nodes, spleen, kidneys and liver. Ultrasound also detects existing diseases of the digestive system that provoke vomiting: stomach ulcers, malignant tumors.
- Fibrogastroduodenoscopy to examine the stomach using an endoscope. This method allows you to identify existing diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Neuronography of the brain is a type of ultrasound that is performed to detect abnormalities occurring in the patient's skull.
If necessary, the patient is consulted by a gastroenterologist, because abdominal pain and vomiting often accompany each other and are symptoms of serious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
Woman vomiting
Women may vomit not only due to certain diseases, but also due to a joyful state - pregnancy. The cause of developing vomiting can be a hormonal imbalance, which occurs as a result of the body's adaptation to a new role for itself - bearing a fetus.
It is known that women can often suffer from nervous disorders, so the gag reflex in them can occur with excessiveemotional and stressful experiences. In some representatives of the weaker sex, attacks of vomiting may occur at the beginning of the menstrual cycle. Some of them can induce themselves to vomit in order to get rid of food that has previously been eaten. This is noted with bulimia and anorexia.
Vomiting in pregnancy
It is worth understanding what vomiting is in pregnant women. The uterus during the bearing of the child gradually increases, squeezing the digestive organs. Undoubtedly, this contributes to the occurrence of bouts of vomiting, which are associated with the adoption of food.
It is worth noting that usually stomach pain and vomiting are noted in women at the beginning of pregnancy. If its intensity does not decrease over time, you should immediately tell the obstetrician-gynecologist observing the pregnancy about this fact so that he identifies the causes of such symptoms and prescribes the appropriate treatment.
Man vomiting
Remarkably, men are less likely to vomit than women. In addition to the above common causes, vomiting can be caused by excessive consumption of strong alcoholic beverages. The main problem in the treatment of this condition in men is that, due to their personal mental characteristics, they seek medical help out of time, which can lead to the development of dehydration.
Vomiting in children
If in childhood the gag reflex is not accompanied by a high temperature, this can be considered an element of the norm up to a certain age. If ait does not disappear, this may indicate serious illness. The reason to seek advice from a pediatrician are the following symptoms:
- Psychogenic vomiting occurs due to certain disorders of the child's psyche. This type of vomiting is influenced by some factors that depend on individual characteristics and previous difficult and conflict situations.
- Teething and feeding vomiting.
- Regurgitation in breastfed babies.
But sometimes vomiting can be dangerous for the baby. For example, if this condition occurs in newborns, it may indicate the development of pyloric stenosis. This condition is a narrowing and obstruction in the place where the stomach and duodenum connect. Also, an infant may have intestinal intussusception, in which a section of the intestine enters the organ, causing its obstruction. In this case, vomiting occurs without diarrhea in the child.
At the age of 1-13 years, approximately 5% of children have acetonemic syndrome - vomiting may occur due to an increase in the number of ketone bodies. The following factors provoke the development of this condition: endocrine disorders, poisoning with various substances, stressful situations, etc.
In girls, vomiting without diarrhea and temperature of the acetone type is noted somewhat more often. Sometimes it can be multiple. The acetone crisis can be effectively and quickly eliminated by the introduction of intravenous injections, since vomiting can disrupt the water and electrolyte balancebaby.
Secondary acetonemic syndrome can develop due to ketoacidosis and ketosis due to fever, infections and after surgical removal of the tonsils. In infants, frothy and repetitive vomiting without diarrhea or fever may indicate a foreign body in the digestive system.
Severe nausea
It is worth noting that excessive vomiting and diarrhea with blood is mainly an individual patient's reaction to an existing or developing disease state. It usually occurs due to infectious diseases or poisoning.
However, in certain situations, severe vomiting can be a symptom of quite serious ailments, for example, it can occur with attacks of severe toxicosis during childbearing. Vomiting can occur in some pathological conditions of the brain: hydrocephalus, intracranial hypertension, hemorrhage, malignant tumors, inflammatory processes in the presence of encephalitis and meningitis.
A strong gag reflex that occurs more than 10 and less than 20 times a day is called indomitable. If medical care is not provided in time, the gag reflex can last for a long time. Prolonged and uncontrollable vomiting is usually observed in patients with metabolic disorders that have led to cerebral edema, severe intoxication and Reye's syndrome.
The most severe and even dangerous complication of vomiting is rapid dehydration, which requires immediate medical attention.
Treatment
Therapy should be aimed at identifying and treating the underlying ailment. First of all, vomiting is treated with gentle and proper nutrition. After the appearance of a gag reflex, it is not recommended to eat spicy, very hot, smoked, fatty, generously seasoned food. You need to eat in small portions, you need to drink plenty (more than 2 liters of purified water per day), quite often, but fractionally.
To normalize the water-s alt balance in the body due to prolonged vomiting, it is necessary to take certain medications. With an indomitable gag reflex, the patient may be prescribed antiemetics.
Problem of vomiting can be corrected by yourself, provided that it was caused by overeating, stress, motion sickness or drinking alcohol.
Ask a doctor immediately if the gag reflex has started in diabetic patients, in people with certain chronic diseases, or if vomiting persists for more than 2 days.
If you have a gag reflex that is accompanied by acute pain in the abdomen, signs of dehydration, problems with urination, changes in functional and mental activity, with repeated vomiting as a result of a head injury, muscle stiffness at the back of the head, you should immediately call the doctors.
Complications
With regularly repeated vomiting, there is a significant loss of fluid in the human body, from which important substances and trace elements are excreted. Undoubtedly, this can disrupt the water balance and cause cramps. The body is depleted due to insufficientacceptance of food. If the resulting vomit enters the respiratory system, the patient may develop suffocation.
Due to the often repeated damage to the enamel of the teeth by acid from the stomach, which enters the mouth, its thinning is noted. The walls of the esophagus and stomach can also be damaged. Another complication will be reddening of the skin of the face due to increased intrathoracic pressure from vomiting.
Consequences
Functional consequences are manifested in the form of disturbances in the functioning of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract. If vomiting of foam continues for more than 2 days, this may contribute to the appearance of gastroesophageal reflux disease or gastritis.
If the patient does not seek medical help in time, even a fatal outcome is possible, especially if the patient has gastrointestinal diseases, or during aspiration, when vomit enters the respiratory system.
Preventive measures
To prevent increased vomiting and abdominal pain, you should drink sweet water to calm the stomach, then sit or lie down for a while. Subsequent excessive activity will increase the reflex. When traveling by car, children are recommended to be seated forward so that they can look at the road.
When fever and severe cough accompanying vomiting, children should be given mild but effective antipyretics. Heavy drinking at the same time as active activities and games can also cause children to gag.
In case of persistent white vomiting, the patient should immediately consult a doctor, and alsoif the vomit contains various impurities or has a very unpleasant, fetid odor.
It is important to organize your meals properly: wash food before eating, thoroughly clean your hands, and monitor the freshness and quality of food (checking its smell, appearance and, of course, the expiration date).
After you figured out what vomiting is, you should throw all your strength into eliminating it. After all, it can lead to serious consequences. Only a doctor can prescribe adequate treatment, taking into account the causes of the pathological condition.
