Vomiting children

POSITIVE PARENTING
By PROF DR CHRISTOPHER BOEY CHIONG MENG

Vomiting can be associated with a variety of disturbances, both trivial and serious. As such, it pays to learn more about vomiting so that you know when to bring your child to the doctor.

WHEN your child vomits, his stomach contents are forced up his oesophagus and out of his mouth. Vomiting is not a disease, but a symptom. It may be a sign of an underlying disorder or disease.

You can expect your child to vomit several times during his early years because vomiting is a symptom of common childhood illnesses such as gastroenteritis (due to virus, bacteria or parasite infection in the gastrointestinal tract) and food poisoning. A child with a viral upper respiratory infection will also have a tendency to vomit. In such cases, the vomiting usually improves with time.

In some cases, vomiting can be a symptom of a more serious condition, such as blockage of the digestive tract, urinary tract infections, disruption of the balancing mechanism in the ear, hepatitis, and pancreatitis. Thus, causes of vomiting are not necessarily limited to the gastrointestinal tract. Increased pressure in the brain, which can be caused by head injury, bleeding in the brain, brain tumour, and infections of the brain like meningitis, can also result in vomiting. Persistent vomiting in a child must be taken seriously.