Motion sickness is a very common and unpleasant condition thought to be caused by a sensory conflict or a mismatch of the vestibular system (1).
Patients may complain of nausea and vomiting, pallor, sweating, headache, dizziness, malaise, increased salivation, apathy, drowsiness, belching, hyperventilation, and stomach awareness.
- symptoms may be provoked by
- externally imposed motion e.g - cars, boats, planes, tilting trains, funfair rides, space
- prevalence of vomiting in
- air(short haul) - 0.5%
- sea - 7%
- road (bus or coach) - 2%
- prevalence of other symptoms in
- air(short haul) - 25%
- sea - 29%
- road (bus or coach) - 41%
- implied self motion from a moving visual field e.g. - in a cinema
Certain people are more susceptible to motion sickness. It is more common in
- children under 15 when compared to adults
- women than in men
- people who have migraine (than in other types of headache)
Management
- the most straightforward solution is to stop the motion that is causing the sickness
- if a journey cannot be stopped then vestibular sedative drugs, particularly if used prophylactically before travelling, are useful in the management of this condition. Cholinergics e.g. hyoscine, and antihistamines (e.g. cinnarizine, promethazine) are beneficial in controlling symptoms of motion sickness
Reference: