You are here:About>Health>First Aid> Home First Aid> Abdominal Disorders> Nausea - Causes of Nausea
About.comFirst Aid
Newsletters & RSSEmail to a friendSubmit to Digg
More Medical Symptoms

PainShortness of BreathVertigo

Causes of Nausea

From Rod Brouhard,
Your Guide to First Aid.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!
About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by our Medical Review Board

Common Causes of Nausea and Vomiting

Nausea, with or without vomiting, is a miserable feeling. Most of the time, nausea is not life-threatening. However, prolonged nausea that causes repeated vomiting may lead to dehydration or even shock.

Causes of Nausea

There are several common causes of nausea and vomiting. Most causes of nausea either involve the gastrointestinal tract or are triggered by feelings of dizziness (vertigo). It's important to identify what is causing nausea in order to relieve it.

Some common causes of nausea:

Infections that cause nausea usually affect the gastrointestinal system, but infections that lead to shortness of breath can cause nausea by depriving the brain of oxygen. Whenever the brain is affected by an illness or injury, there is always the possibility of it causing nausea. Vertigo, anxiety, stress, and fatigue all cause nausea by affecting the brain.

Other Symptoms

Nausea and vomiting are often associated with other signs and symptoms. Prolonged cases of vomiting can lead to symptoms of dehydration. Some other symptoms associated with nausea can be from the physiological reaction of the body to vomiting. Vomiting stimulates the vagus nerve, which leads to a decrease in pulse rate and blood pressure. That sudden drop in blood pressure sometimes causes a reciprocal adrenaline rush.

Adrenaline does several things to the body - such as increasing blood pressure and pulse - which includes pulling blood from the skin and triggering sweat. For that reason, victims of nausea and vomiting will often look pale with cool, clammy skin.

There are several options for treating nausea and vomiting, including over the counter (OTC) and prescription anti-nausea medications. Most importantly, treatment requires indentifying the cause of the nausea and addressing that condition.

Updated: May 16, 2008
 All Topics | Email Article | | |
Advertising Info | News & Events | Work at About | SiteMap | Reprints | HelpOur Story | Be a Guide
More from About, Inc.: Calorie Count Plus | UCompareHealthCare
User Agreement | Ethics Policy | Patent Info. | Corrections | Privacy Policy
©2008 About, Inc., A part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.