Definition
Nausea and vomiting are common signs and symptoms that can be caused by numerous conditions. Nausea and vomiting most often are due to viral gastroenteritis — often called stomach flu — or the morning sickness of early pregnancy.
Many medications or substances can also cause nausea and vomiting, including marijuana (cannabis). Rarely, nausea and vomiting may indicate a serious or even life-threatening problem
Causes
Nausea and vomiting may occur separately or together. Common causes include:
Chemotherapy
Gastroparesis (a condition in which the muscles of the stomach wall don’t function properly, interfering with digestion)
General anesthesia
Intestinal obstruction
Migraine
Morning sickness
Motion sickness: First aid
Rotavirus
Viral gastroenteritis (stomach flu)
Vestibular neuritis
Other possible causes of nausea and vomiting include:
Acute liver failure
Alcohol use disorder
Anaphylaxis
Anorexia nervosa
Appendicitis
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)
Brain tumor
Bulimia nervosa
Cannabis (marijuana) use
Cholecystitis
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Crohn’s disease
Cyclic vomiting syndrome
Depression (major depressive disorder) or other mood disorders
Diabetic ketoacidosis (in which the body has high levels of blood acids called ketones)
Dizziness
Ear infection (middle ear)
Enlarged spleen (splenomegaly)
Fever
Food allergy (for example, cow’s milk, soy or eggs)
Food poisoning
Gallstones
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
Generalized anxiety disorder
Heart attack
Heart failure
Hepatitis
Hiatal hernia
Hydrocephalus
Hyperparathyroidism (overactive parathyroid)
Hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid)
Hypoparathyroidism (underactive parathyroid)
Intestinal ischemia
Intestinal obstruction
Intracranial hematoma
Intussusception (in children)
Irritable bowel syndrome
Medications (including aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, oral contraceptives, digitalis, narcotics and antibiotics)
Meniere’s disease
Meningitis
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatitis
Peptic ulcer
Pseudotumor cerebri (idiopathic intracranial hypertension)
Pyloric stenosis (in infants)
Radiation therapy
Severe pain
Toxic hepatitis
