Nausea

Everyone knows the unpleasant sensation that rises from the stomach to the throat, creating an urge to vomit. This feeling is often described as nausea, sickness, or disgust. Nausea frequently precedes vomiting and may be accompanied by headaches, sweating, dizziness, salivation, loss of appetite, fatigue, or fear, depending on the cause.

Nausea often accompanies psychological disorders, linked to feelings of fear, discomfort, or excitement. It’s common before exams for students or in distressing situations. Expressions like “it makes me sick to watch” or “I feel nauseous seeing them” highlight the close connection between emotions and nausea.

In particularly intense situations, “it makes me sick” may escalate to “I feel like vomiting.” Nausea precedes vomiting, part of the same process, with varying intensity. Mild stimuli cause nausea, while stronger ones lead to vomiting. Nausea results from stimulation of the brain’s vomiting center.

Triggers for nausea can originate from various body parts, most commonly the digestive organs, especially the stomach. Acute stomach inflammation typically begins with nausea, caused by spoiled, very hot, or icy food, medications, toxins, or strong alcohol on an empty stomach.

Nausea can also result from sudden stomach distension after heavy meals. Chronic stomach conditions, like gastritis or ulcers, may cause persistent nausea lasting years. Allergic gastritis, where the stomach reacts to specific foods, can also trigger nausea.

Nausea doesn’t always occur at the same time of day. It’s important for doctors to know if it appears in the morning on an empty stomach, after meals, or with symptoms like diarrhea, vomiting, itching, skin changes, fever, or pain. Nausea can stem from diseases of other digestive organs, including the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, or intestines.

Nausea occurs in patients with heart, kidney, or liver diseases; it’s common with pain from urinary stones or kidney failure, where toxins accumulate (uremia).

Nausea may arise from irritation of the balance center in the inner ear (motion sickness), accompany headaches or brain disorders, persist for months with minimal pain in stomach cancer, result from vitamin deficiencies or excessive smoking, or be caused by medications like digitalis (for heart conditions) or birth control pills. It also occurs in many infectious diseases or complications from pancreatitis, pneumonia, bone infections, or mumps.