ENT » Miscellaneous

Motion sickness

Motion sickness is a common problem in people traveling by car, train, aeroplanes and especially boats. It can start suddenly, with a funny feeling in the pit of the stomach with cold sweats. It can then lead to nausea, dizziness and vomiting. Children under 2 years are rarely affected, but children aged 2 - 12 years suffer from motion sickness most frequently. Women are more often affected than men, particularly during menses and pregnancy. Dizziness, fatigue, and nausea are the most common symptoms of motion sickness. The most common hypothesis for the cause of motion sickness is that it evolved as a defense mechanism against neurotoxins. The area postrema in the brain is responsible for inducing vomiting when poisons are detected. When feeling motion but not seeing it (for example, in a ship with no windows), the inner ear transmits to the brain that it senses motion, but the eyes tell the brain that everything is still. The area postrema believe the inner ear signal over the optical; the brain concludes that it is due to poison ingestion and responds by inducing vomiting. Antihistaminiccs are the most commonly used drugs.

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