$Unique_ID{PAR00180}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Medical Advice:  Vomiting}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{
Editors of Consumer Guide
Chasnoff, Ira J}
$Subject{Vomiting Forceful ejection stomach contents Solid foods milk aspirin
tablets electrolyte solution solutions dehydration body fluids fluid loss
abdominal pain fever headache headaches appendicitis diarrhea phenothiazine
drug drugs spit spitting up milk intolerance formula food intolerances
gastroenteritis intestinal flu virus viruses viral infection infections
digestive tract brain abnormality abnormalities concussion migraine meningitis
encephalitis tumor tumors poisoning appendicitis emotional distress jaundice
foreign bodies abdominal injuries motion sickness orthophosphoric acid
fructose glucose neurologic examination dehydrated}
$Log{}

Your Child:  A Medical Guide


Vomiting


     Quick Reference

     SYMPTOM
     - Forceful ejection of the contents of the stomach

     HOME CARE
     - Solid foods, milk, and aspirin tablets aggravate vomiting and should
       not be given.
     - Have the child sip ice water, carbonated beverages, tea with sugar,
       flavored gelatin water, apple juice, or commercial electrolyte
       solutions (available from your pharmacist).

     PRECAUTIONS
     - Prolonged or severe vomiting can cause dehydration (loss of body
       fluids).  The younger the child, the more serious dehydration can be.
       Call your doctor if an infant has been vomiting for more than 12 to 24
       hours or if an older child has been vomiting for more than two to three
       days.
     - Consult your doctor if vomiting is accompanied by abdominal pain,
       fever, or headache.
     - Abdominal pain accompanied by vomiting may indicate appendicitis.
     - If vomiting and diarrhea occur at the same time, control the vomiting
       first.
     - Some phenothiazine drugs that are given to control vomiting in adults
       can have serious side effects in children and should not be given.
     - If the child is taking a medication, vomiting may hinder its action.


     Vomiting is a common occurrence during childhood.  In most instances, it
is merely a nuisance, but it can hinder the work of medications, cause the
child to lose so much fluid that dehydration occurs, or indicate a problem
that requires medical attention.
     Most infants spit up and occasionally vomit.  If this vomiting does not
hinder weight gain, it is neither harmful nor abnormal.  Excessive vomiting,
however, may indicate intolerance to formula, milk, or some other food.
Frequent forceful vomiting during an infant's first two months suggests an
obstruction at the end of the stomach.
     In children, gastroenteritis or intestinal flu (both viral infections of
the digestive tract) or an infectious disease elsewhere in the body can cause
vomiting.  Other causes include abnormalities of the brain (for example,
concussion, migraine, meningitis, encephalitis, and tumors), poisoning,
appendicitis, severe emotional distress, jaundice, foreign bodies in the
digestive tract, abdominal injuries, and motion sickness.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

     The vomiting itself is obvious.  The doctor concentrates on identifying
its cause.  It is also important to evaluate the degree of dehydration caused
by persistent vomiting.

HOME CARE

     If your child is vomiting, avoid giving solid foods, milk, and aspirin
tablets.  These substances aggravate vomiting.  Allow the child sips of cold,
clear liquids, such as ice water, carbonated beverages, tea with sugar,
flavored gelatin water, apple juice, and commercial electrolyte solutions
(available from your pharmacist).  Commercial preparations of orthophosphoric
acid, fructose, and glucose (also available from your pharmacist) may be used
as well.  If the child can keep down a teaspoonful of liquid every five
minutes, he will retain two ounces of fluid in an hour.  Gradually increase
the amount of fluids given as the child's tolerance increases.

PRECAUTIONS

  -  Prolonged or severe vomiting can cause dehydration.  The younger the
     child, the more serious dehydration can be.  Call your doctor if an
     infant has been vomiting for more than 12 to 24 hours or if an older
     child has been vomiting for more than two to three days.
  -  Consult your doctor if vomiting is accompanied by abdominal pain, fever,
     or headache.
  -  If vomiting and diarrhea occur at the same time, control the vomiting
     first.
  -  Some phenothiazine drugs that are used to control vomiting in adults may
     cause serious side effects in the central nervous system in children;
     do not use them for children.
  -  Remember that abdominal pain accompanied by vomiting could indicate
     appendicitis.

MEDICAL TREATMENT

     Your doctor will determine the cause of the vomiting by obtaining a
detailed health history and performing a thorough physical and neurologic
examination.  The presence and degree of dehydration will be assessed; if the
child is seriously dehydrated, he will be hospitalized for administration of
intravenous fluids.

RELATED TOPICS:  Appendicitis; Concussion; Dehydration; Diarrhea in older
children; Diarrhea in young children; Encephalitis; Food allergies;
Gastroenteritis, acute; Headaches; Jaundice in children; Jaundice in newborns;
Meningitis; Motion sickness; Poisoning; Stomachache, acute; Stomachache,
chronic; Swallowed objects; Viral infections