Nausea and Vomiting - Differential Diagnosis Algorithm



Upper Gastrointestinal - Acute

 • Infectious Gastroenteritis

 • Gastric/Duodenal Obstruction

 • Gastric Volvulus

Upper Gastrointestinal - Chronic

 • Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

 • Peptic Ulcer Disease

 • Gastroparesis

Lower Gastrointestinal - Acute

 • Infectious Gastroenteritis

 • Small/Large Bowel Obstruction

 • Acute Appendicitis

 • Mesenteric Ischemia

 • Acute Diverticulitis

Lower Gastrointestinal - Chronic

 • Inflammatory Bowel Disease

 • Colonic Neoplasm

Hepatobiliary

 • Acute Hepatitis

 • Acute Cholecystitis

 • Cholelithiasis

 • Choledocholithiasis

 • Acute Pancreatitis

Endocrine/Metabolic

 • Pregnancy

 • Diabetes/ DKA

 • Uremia

 • Hypercalcemia

 • Addison's Disease

 • Thvroid Disease

Other

 • sepsis (e.g. pyelonephritis, Pneumonia)

 • Radiation Sickness

 • Acute Myocardial Infarction

Drugs/Toxins

 • Chemotherapy

 • Antibiotics

 • Ethanol

 • Carbon Monoxide

 • Heavy Metal

 • Nicotine

High Intracranial Pressure

 • Hemorrhage

 • Meningitis

 • Infarction

 • Malignancy

 • Head Trauma

Vestibular (Inner Ear)

 • Ear Infection

 • Motion Sickness

 • Vestibular Migraine

 • Méniére's Disease

Psychiatric

 • Self-Induced (Bulimia)

 • Cyclic Vomiting

 • Psychogenic



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