National Digestive Diseases Information ClearinghouseCyclic VomitingSy - PDF document

National Digestive Diseases Information ClearinghouseCyclic VomitingSyndrome Institute ofDiabetes andDigestiveand KidneyDiseasesOF HEALTH do in children, but they last longer. Fur-Episodes can be that a person mayto school or work. No one knows for sure vomiting,many people with CVS are initially misdiag-nosed out. What The Four Phases of CVS ¥Prodrome¥Episode¥Recovery¥Symptom-free interval CVS has no known cause. Each epi-sode tends to start at about the sametime of day, last the same length oftime, and present the same symptomswith the same level of intensity. 2 Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome Triggers Most people can identify a specific condi-tion or event that triggered an episode.The most common trigger is an infection.tional stress or excitement, often from abirthday or vacation, for example. Colds,also set off episodes in some people.Other reported triggers include eatingcertain foods (such as chocolate or cheese),eating too much, or eating just before goingto bed. Hot weather, physical exhaustion,trigger episodes. Symptoms The main symptoms of CVS are severevomiting, nausea, and

retching (gagging).Episodes usually begin at night or firstthing in the morning and may includevomiting or retching up to five or six timesan hour during the worst of the episode.Episodes usually last anywhere from 1 to 4days, though they can last for up to 10 days.Other symptoms include pallor, exhaustion,and listlessness. Sometimes the nausea andvomiting are so severe that a person ap-pears to be almost unconscious. Sensitivityto light, headache, fever, dizziness, diar-rhea, and abdominal pain may also accom-pany an episode.In addition, the vomiting may cause drool-ing and excessive thirst. Drinking waterusually leads to more vomiting, thoughthe water can dilute the acid in the vomit,making the episode a little less painful.Continuous vomiting can lead to dehydra-tion, which means that the body has lostexcessive water and salts. CVS is hard to diagnose because no cleartestsÑsuch as a blood test or x rayÑexist toidentify it. A doctor must diagnose CVS byand by excluding more common diseasesor disorders that can also cause nauseaand vomiting. Also, diagnosis takes timebecause doctors

need to identify a patternor cycle to the vomiting. CVS and Migraine The relationship between migraineand CVS is still unclear, but medicalresearchers believe that the two arerelated. First, migraine headaches,which cause severe pain in the head;abdominal migraine, which causesstomach pain; and CVS are all markedby severe symptoms that start quicklyand end abruptly, followed by longerperiods without pain or other symptoms.Second, many of the situations thattrigger CVS also trigger migraines.Those triggers include stress andexcitement.Third, research has shown that manychildren with CVS either have a familyhistory of migraine or develop mi-graines as they grow older.Because of the similarities betweenmigraine and CVS, doctors treat somepeople with severe CVS with drugs thatare also used for migraine headaches.The drugs are designed to preventepisodes, reduce their frequency, orlessen their severity. 3 Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome Treatment CVS cannot be cured. Treatment varies,ing altogether. For example, people who(Advil, Motrin) to try to stop it. Other(Prilosec), which help calm the s

tomachPeople whose episodes are frequent andachesÑpropranolol, cyproheptadine, andone. Taking the medicine daily for 1 to 2months mto trigger an episode. For example, if Points To Remember ¥People with CVS have severe nausea¥CVS occurs mostly in children, but¥CVS has four phases: prodrome,¥Most people can identify a condition¥The main symptoms of CVS are¥The only way a doctor can diagnose¥CVS has no cure. Treatment varies¥Complications include dehydration,tis, hematemesis, Mallory-Weiss 4 Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome Complications Vomiting causes the Vomiting alsoPeptic esophagitis.Mallory-Weiss tear.Tooth decay. For More Information Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome Association3585 Cedar Hill Road, NW.Canal Winchester, OH 43110Fax: (614) 837Ð2586cvsadwaites@msn.comInternet: www.beaker.iupui.edu/cvsaNational Organization for RareP.O. Box 8923New Fairfield, CT 06812Ð8923Fax: (203) 746Ð6481 www.niddk.nih.U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTHAND HUMAN SERVICESAugust 2001 National Digestive DiseasesInformation Clearinghouse 2 Information WayFax: (301) 907Ð8906 Trade, proprietary, or company names appear