What Causes Chronic Vomiting?
Chronic vomiting can have various causes, ranging in severity from 'minor' to 'generally fatal'. Finding the true cause means ruling out or confirming each possibility – in other words, diagnosis.
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Diagnosis is usually a complex process due to the sheer number of possible causes and related symptoms. In order to diagnose chronic vomiting, we could:
- Research the topic
- Find a doctor with the time
- Use a diagnostic computer system.
Step 1: List all Possible Causes
We begin by identifying the disease conditions which have "chronic vomiting" as a symptom. Here are eight of many possibilities (more below):
- Ectopic Pregnancy
- Heartburn
- Stomach Cancer
- Gastroenteritis
- West Nile Virus
- Epstein-Barr Virus
- Mesenteric Ischemia
- Chronic Renal Insufficiency
Step 2: Build a Symptom Checklist
We then identify all possible symptoms and risk factors of each possible cause, and check the ones that apply:
meal-related pain for over a month
recent onset diarrhea
coffee consumption
meal-induced pain for under a week
hiccups
moderate abdominal pain
stomach cancer
severe meal-induced pain
very great unexplained weight loss
moderate epigastric pain
meal-related pain for 1-4 weeks
sensitivity to bright light
meal-related pain for over a month recent onset diarrhea coffee consumption meal-induced pain for under a week hiccups moderate abdominal pain stomach cancer severe meal-induced pain very great unexplained weight loss moderate epigastric pain meal-related pain for 1-4 weeks sensitivity to bright light... and more than 100 others
Step 3: Rule Out or Confirm each Possible Cause
A differential diagnosis of your symptoms and risk factors finds the likely cause of chronic vomiting:
| Cause | Probability | Status |
|---|---|---|
| West Nile Virus | 97% | Confirm |
| Gastroenteritis | 29% | Unlikely |
| Mesenteric Ischemia | 22% | Unlikely |
| Chronic Renal Insufficiency | 3% | Ruled out |
| Epstein-Barr Virus | 2% | Ruled out |
| Heartburn | 1% | Ruled out |
| Stomach Cancer | 0% | Ruled out |
| Ectopic Pregnancy | 0% | Ruled out |
* This is a simple example to illustrate the process
Arriving at a Correct Diagnosis
The Analyst™ is our online diagnosis tool that learns all about you through a straightforward process of multi-level questioning, providing diagnosis at the end.
In the Gastrointestinal Symptoms section of the questionnaire, The Analyst™ will ask the following question about duration of current vomiting episodes:
|
If you suffer significantly from unexplained vomiting (at least once per week), for how long has this been a problem?
Possible responses:
→ It is not a problem / don't know→ It started within the last week → It started within the last month → I've had it for 1 to 3 months → I've had it for over 3 months |
Ovarian Cysts
There are three different ways in which ovarian cysts can cause chronic vomiting: 1) When an ovarian cyst ruptures, fluid and sometimes blood are released into the ovary or surrounding tissues; 2) In some women the cause can be severe pain from a cyst; 3) Irritation of tissues in the abdomen.
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Last updated: Oct 23, 2023