Nausea

**1. Causes of Nausea:**
– Gastrointestinal infections and food poisoning are common causes of acute nausea (37%).
– Side effects from medications (3%) and pregnancy are frequent causes.
– Chronic nausea has various underlying reasons.
– Nausea and vomiting are undiagnosed in 10% of cases.
– Doctor visits for nausea decrease with age after childhood.
– Motion sickness, seasickness, certain medications, and gastrointestinal disorders like gastritis or GERD can also cause nausea.

**2. Diagnosis and Testing:**
– Thorough patient history can provide clues to the cause of nausea.
– Acute onset symptoms may indicate drugs, toxins, or infections.
– Chronic nausea suggests an underlying chronic illness.
– Timing of symptoms after eating is crucial for diagnosis.
– Physical exams like signs of dehydration, abdominal auscultation, and palpation can reveal clues to the cause.
– Diagnostic testing like chemistry panels, liver function tests, and imaging studies are essential for identifying the underlying cause.

**3. Treatment and Medications:**
– Rehydration with oral electrolyte solutions or intravenous rehydration for dehydration.
– Medical care recommended for specific symptoms and conditions.
– Nausea medications prescribed based on the underlying cause.
– Various pharmacologic medications available for nausea treatment.
– Consideration of antiemetic medication choice based on individual factors.
– Combination treatments exist for pregnancy-related nausea.

**4. Alternative and Home Remedies:**
– Cannabinoids and ginger have shown potential effectiveness in treating nausea.
– Acupressure, acupuncture, and behavioral therapies like relaxation techniques can help.
– Home remedies include sipping clear fluids, eating small bland meals, avoiding triggers, resting, and aromatherapy.
– Prevention strategies like eating smaller, more frequent meals, staying hydrated, managing stress, and following proper medication schedules can help prevent nausea.

**5. Complications and Impact of Nausea:**
– Complications include dehydration, nutritional deficiencies, electrolyte imbalances, worsening underlying medical conditions, and impact on quality of life and daily activities.
– Home remedies, alternative medicine, and prescription medications can help manage nausea and its complications effectively.

Nausea (Wikipedia)

Not to be confused with malaise.

For other uses, see Nausea (disambiguation).

Nausea is a diffuse sensation of unease and discomfort, sometimes perceived as an urge to vomit. While not painful, it can be a debilitating symptom if prolonged and has been described as placing discomfort on the chest, abdomen, or back of the throat.

Nausea
A 1681 painting depicting a person vomiting
Specialty	Gastroenterology

Over 30 definitions of nausea were proposed in a 2011 book on the topic.

Nausea is a non-specific symptom, which means that it has many possible causes. Some common causes of nausea are gastroenteritis and other gastrointestinal disorders, food poisoning, motion sickness, dizziness, migraine, fainting, low blood sugar, anxiety, hyperthermia, dehydration and lack of sleep. Nausea is a side effect of many medications including chemotherapy, or morning sickness in early pregnancy. Nausea may also be caused by disgust and depression.

Medications taken to prevent and treat nausea and vomiting are called antiemetics. The most commonly prescribed antiemetics in the US are promethazine, metoclopramide, and the newer ondansetron. The word nausea is from Latin nausea, from Greek ναυσία – nausia, "ναυτία" – nautia, motion sickness, "feeling sick or queasy".