Vomiting

Vomiting is a symptom of many diseases, and is sometimes accompanied by dizziness, diarrhoea or a high body temperature.

Medical professionals

1 May 2021 | 5 Min. Reading Time

Overview

Vomiting is a symptom of many diseases, and is sometimes accompanied by dizziness, diarrhoea or a high body temperature. There are many possible causes, and vomiting alone does not allow a diagnosis to be made. The most important thing is to replace the lost fluids and mineral salts.

Symptoms

Main symptoms

Vomiting

Other symptoms

Nausea
Fever
Stomach ache, stomach cramps
Headaches, dizziness

Causes and treatment

Causes

As many diseases can cause vomiting, this is a frequent and non-specific symptom. Possible causes include:

Gastrointestinal diseases, infection
Intestinal obstruction
Food intolerance
Diseases of the gallbladder, liver, pancreas
Foreign body in the throat/pharynx
Pregnancy (particularly during the first months)
Concussion, stroke, brain tumour
Sea or travel sickness
Ménière's disease
Food poisoning
Too much alcohol
Certain medication
Psychological factors: stress, disgust

Further treatment by your doctor / in hospital

Possible tests

Blood test (often sufficient)
Ultrasound
Gastroscopy
X-ray
CT scan (computed tomography)
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)

Possible therapies

Dictated by the cause

What can I do myself?

The most important thing is to replace the lost fluids and mineral salts (by drinking chamomile or black tea, bouillon, diluted fruit juice)
After a while you can try to eat a little food, starting with rusks, oatmeal, rice or mashed potato
As a preventive measure, only eat food that is as fresh as possible food and smells good
As a preventive measure, don’t read while travelling by train, bus or car, but rather look out the window (take tablets before leaving on a trip, if necessary)