Vomiting is the forceful ejection of gastric contents through the mouth. It occurs when the vomiting centre in the medulla oblongata is stimulated. This may be due to direct stimulation of the centre (central vomiting) or via afferent fibres (reflex vomiting). Haematemesis (vomiting blood) is dealt with in a separate chapter on p. 195. Reflex Vomiting Gastrointestinal disease Inflammation/irritation • Peptic ulceration/acute gastritis (Fig. 66) • Viral • Bacteria, e.g. Campylobacter, Salmonella spp • Drugs, e.g. aspirin, NSAIDs, alcohol, iron, antibiotics • Emetics, e.g. sodium chloride, ipecacuanha Figure 66 Peptic ulcer.
Vomiting
Causes
There is a benign gastric ulcer on the lesser curvature of the stomach, seen at gastroscopy.
