Vomiting
Basics
Description
- Vomiting is the forceful expulsion of gastric contents through the mouth.
- A prominent feature of many disorders of infancy and childhood
- Often the only presenting symptom
- 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 may be indicative of a number of different physiologic pathways, including as:
- 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 4th ventricle
- A result of intestinal obstruction leading to bowel dilation
- A reaction to chronic gastrointestinal mucosal disease
- A result of a generalized metabolic disease
- A sequela of increased intracranial pressure
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Citation
Cabana, Michael D., editor. "Vomiting." 5-Minute Pediatric Consult, 8th ed., Wolters Kluwer, 2019. Pediatrics Central, peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/5-Minute-Pediatric-Consult/617452/all/Vomiting.
Vomiting. In: Cabana MDM, ed. 5-Minute Pediatric Consult. Wolters Kluwer; 2019. https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/5-Minute-Pediatric-Consult/617452/all/Vomiting. Accessed October 13, 2024.
Vomiting. (2019). In Cabana, M. D. (Ed.), 5-Minute Pediatric Consult (8th ed.). Wolters Kluwer. https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/5-Minute-Pediatric-Consult/617452/all/Vomiting
Vomiting [Internet]. In: Cabana MDM, editors. 5-Minute Pediatric Consult. Wolters Kluwer; 2019. [cited 2024 October 13]. Available from: https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/5-Minute-Pediatric-Consult/617452/all/Vomiting.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
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BT - 5-Minute Pediatric Consult
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PB - Wolters Kluwer
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DB - Pediatrics Central
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