Recurrent vomiting in adults. A syndrome?

Recurrent vomiting in adults is characterized by episodes of forceful vomiting which last several hours and recur at inconstant intervals; patients are free from symptoms between episodes. The series comprised 17 male and 14 female patients whose ages ranged from 14 to 69 years. In 10 patients, the vomiting attacks were accompanied by diarrhoea, and in 10 by abdominal pain. Eight patients suffered from bilious vomiting in childhood, and 11 patients had migraine. Five patients gave a family history of recurrent vomiting. Management necessitated a sympathetic approach and balanced investigation. Prochlorperazine administered by injection was helpful in the alleviation of an acute attack, but the possible value of more specific antimigraine therapy remains to be established. Evidence supports a link with migraine, which has an association with other gastrointestinal disorders such as irritable bowel and oesophageal reflux. In cases in which pain is prominent, cholelithiasis should be carefully excluded, but cholecystectomy did not always cure vomiting attacks.