What Are the Most Common Causes of Vomiting in Children?

Vomiting is a common clinical symptom in childhood. Vomiting can be caused by various diseases at different ages. Due to the reverse peristalsis of the esophagus, stomach or intestine, accompanied by strong spasms and contractions of the abdominal muscles, the contents of the esophagus and stomach are forced out of the mouth and nose. Vomiting can be a stand-alone symptom or an accompanying symptom of the primary disease. Simply vomiting vomiting too much raw, cold food and spoiled and toxic food is also a protective function of the body. Don't panic when your child has vomiting, observe the condition, and take care of it properly.

Basic Information

English name: infantilevomiting
Visiting department: Pediatrics
Common causes: Obstructive vomiting of the digestive tract, infectious vomiting, vomiting due to central nervous system disease, nutrition, metabolic disorders, vestibular dysfunction, drugs and poisons to stimulate the gastrointestinal tract, etc.

Common symptoms: Vomit
Contagious: no

Causes of vomiting in children

Obstructive vomiting

Can be caused by congenital gastrointestinal malformations or certain acquired disorders caused by digestive obstruction.

(1) Vomiting during neonatal period may include esophageal atresia, gastric torsion, pyloric spasm, pyloric valve, duodenal atresia or narrow circular pancreas, poor bowel rotation, ileal ileum atresia or stenosis, rectal anus deformities (including Anal atresia or stenosis, etc.), repeated malformations of the digestive tract, and meconium peritonitis.

(2) Obstructive vomiting of intestinal obstruction in infants and young children with congenital pyloric stenosis, spontaneous disappearance of spray gate or spray gate spasm, intussusception, and acquired bowel torsion.

(3) Vomiting in childhood can be caused by extra-intestinal compression, adhesions of meconium peritonitis, anterior duodenal mesenteric hiatal hernia, incarcerated inguinal hernia, or diaphragmatic hernia.

2. Infectious vomiting

Upper respiratory tract infections, pneumonia and gastrointestinal infections.

3. Vomiting due to central nervous system disease

Various encephalitis, meningitis, cerebral hemorrhage, brain tumors and intracranial hypertension.

4. Nutrition and metabolic disorders

Infantile beriberi, uremia, metabolic acidosis, diabetic ketotoxicity.

5. Vestibular Dysfunction

Meniere's syndrome.

6. Drugs and poisons stimulate the gastrointestinal tract.

7. Other

Periodic vomiting and recurrent vomiting.

Clinical manifestations of vomiting in children

Vomiting is only a symptom that causes great pain to the child. The vomiting is pale, the upper abdomen is uncomfortable (children often say abdominal pain), anorexia, eating and drinking. Protrusions sometimes spray from the mouth and nose. When vomiting is severe, the child has clinical manifestations of thirst, oliguria, malaise, red lips, deep breathing, dehydrating acidosis. Its etiology is diverse and accompanied by symptoms of primary disease.

Pediatric Vomiting Diagnosis

Carefully collect medical history, first understand the feeding method, time, habits and defecation. Newborns should be asked about the time and development of vomiting, and the mother's pregnancy and birth history, medication history, and symptoms associated with vomiting.

Careful physical examination, necessary laboratory examination and imaging examination. A preliminary diagnosis can only be obtained after objective comprehensive analysis. Analysis of vomiting symptoms:

1. Time and frequency of vomiting

Newborn vomiting for several hours after birth may inhale amniotic fluid during childbirth; frequent vomiting occurs after 24 to 36 hours after birth, and anal or rectal atresia should be considered after birth without defecation; persistent vomiting occurs 1 to 2 weeks after birth, the third Weeks worsen, accompanied by weight loss and malnutrition. Observe for pyloric hypertrophic stenosis; spit brown mucus within a few hours of birth may be caused by swallowing maternal blood. A 3-year-old child may have esophageal hiatal hernia after repeated, continuous vomiting of coffee.

2. Ways or conditions of vomiting

Spilled milk (baby milk) The baby's milk flows or spit out from the corner of the mouth after feeding. There are also a few babies that sometimes spray from the mouth and nose. The spit was raw milk without any discomfort. May be improperly fed, overeat, and gas in the stomach. The amount or frequency of milk should be appropriately reduced, sitting and feeding, and standing up and patting the back after feeding; the stomach contents return to the mouth or back to the mouth, and this symptom usually appears after half a year old. This is a rare ruminant phenomenon; a large amount of vomiting from the mouth or from the mouth and nostrils at the same time, observe the children for headaches, fever and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Encephalitis, brain tumors, etc. should be excluded, and diseases of the central nervous system should be excluded.

3. Vomit contents and properties

(1) The output is clear or foamy mucus and undigested milk or food. It means that the food you eat is blocked and obstructed above the cardia. Found in newborns with congenital esophageal atresia, esophagitis of various age groups, esophageal stricture and achalasia due to cardia.

(2) The vomit is a mucous milk clot and stomach contents, indicating that food has entered the stomach. Vomiting can be caused by infectious diseases, gastrointestinal infections, and pyloric obstruction. Found in pyloric hypertrophic stenosis, pyloric valve.

(3) Yellow or green clear mucus-like vomit, sometimes mixed with a small amount of milk or food. Severe functional vomiting is common in all age groups; neonates are more common in duodenal atresia or stenosis, circular pancreas and intestinal malrotation.

(4) The vomit is yellowish green liquid mixed with a small amount of chyme, which is found in high jejunal atresia or adhesive intestinal obstruction and intestinal paralysis.

(5) The discharge is light brown-green faecal juice-like and smells. The neonatal period is mostly considered as ileum or colonic atresia, bowel without ganglia or rectal anus deformity. Other age groups indicate low gastrointestinal obstruction due to various causes.

(6) The exudate is bloody or vomiting blood, and it is judged according to the rate and location of bleeding volume, blood content and color of the exudate. A small amount of blood and stomach acid appear tan, which can be seen in newborns swallowing amniotic fluid containing maternal blood or nipples sucking cleft palate, natural hemorrhage in newborns, etc .; infants and children can see hiatal hernia, repeated relapses for various reasons Vomiting, critically ill children with diffuse intravascular coagulation and hemorrhagic complications with gastric bleeding; a large amount of vomiting is more common in portal hypertension with esophageal varices rupture or gastric ulcer bleeding.

Complications of vomiting in children

Severe vomiting in children can cause apnea, cyanosis, aspiration pneumonia, and suffocation. Severe vomiting can cause water, electrolyte disturbances, and acidosis. Severe can even die.

Pediatric Vomiting Treatment

Mainly find out the cause and treat the primary disease. On this basis, symptomatic treatment is used.

1. Children with vomiting should take a side position or a seat, and gargle with warm water after vomiting. Give the child a small amount of fruit juice and brine. Such as those caused by inadequate diet to rest, reduce eating.

2. After vomiting has stopped or alleviated, a small amount of liquid food such as warm food and rice soup can be given.

3. Dehydration or electrolyte disorders should be replenished in time and electrolyte disorders should be corrected as needed.

4. Frequent vomiting should be given antiemetics and sedatives. Such as Lumina, hibernating spirit, mortalin suppositories, etc., with caution with metoclopramide.

5. Antispasmodic drugs, such as belladonna mixture, atropine 654-2, probencin, 1% to 2% procaine.

Pediatric vomiting prevention

1. Newborns and babies should not be rushed during breastfeeding. Hold the child's body vertically after breastfeeding, let it lie on the mother's shoulder, and pat the back to snore.

2. Pay attention to regular quantitative diet, avoid overeating, don't overeat fatty foods and cold drinks.

3. Pay attention to food hygiene and avoid eating dirty and spoiled food.

4. Strengthen physical exercise, increase physical resistance, and prevent infection by viruses and bacteria.