Vomiting
Basics
Description
- Vomiting is the forceful expulsion of gastric contents through the mouth.
- Vomiting is a prominent feature of many disorders of infancy and childhood.
- It is often the only presenting symptom of many diseases.
- Regurgitation is defined as small, effortless mouthfuls of food or stomach contents.
- Retching is contraction of the abdominal musculature against a closed glottis, restricting expulsion of stomach contents (also referred to as “dry heaves”).
Pathophysiology
- Vomiting can be:
- A defense mechanism to expel ingested toxins
- An abnormality of, or damage to, the postrema area of the brain (a.k.a. the chemoreceptor trigger zone or vomiting center), which is located at the base of the fourth ventricle
- A result of intestinal obstruction or anatomic abnormalities
- Due to chronic gastrointestinal mucosal disease
- The result of a generalized metabolic disease
- A result of increased intracranial pressure
There's more to see -- the rest of this topic is available only to subscribers.
Citation
Cabana, Michael D., editor. "Vomiting." Select 5-Minute Pediatrics Topics, 7th ed., Wolters Kluwer Health, 2015. 5-Minute Clinical Consult, www.unboundmedicine.com/5minute/view/Select-5-Minute-Pediatric-Consult/14006/all/Vomiting.
Vomiting. In: Cabana MDM, ed. Select 5-Minute Pediatrics Topics. Wolters Kluwer Health; 2015. https://www.unboundmedicine.com/5minute/view/Select-5-Minute-Pediatric-Consult/14006/all/Vomiting. Accessed June 4, 2023.
Vomiting. (2015). In Cabana, M. D. (Ed.), Select 5-Minute Pediatrics Topics (7th ed.). Wolters Kluwer Health. https://www.unboundmedicine.com/5minute/view/Select-5-Minute-Pediatric-Consult/14006/all/Vomiting
Vomiting [Internet]. In: Cabana MDM, editors. Select 5-Minute Pediatrics Topics. Wolters Kluwer Health; 2015. [cited 2023 June 04]. Available from: https://www.unboundmedicine.com/5minute/view/Select-5-Minute-Pediatric-Consult/14006/all/Vomiting.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY - ELEC
T1 - Vomiting
ID - 14006
ED - Cabana,Michael D,
BT - Select 5-Minute Pediatrics Topics
UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/5minute/view/Select-5-Minute-Pediatric-Consult/14006/all/Vomiting
PB - Wolters Kluwer Health
ET - 7
DB - 5-Minute Clinical Consult
DP - Unbound Medicine
ER -