Cyclic vomiting syndrome is, I think, the best and worst clinical term for a condition that I’ve ever heard. Most clinical terms somewhat obscure the grossness of the thing described (think “incontinence” for diarrhea), but not cyclic vomiting syndrome (or CVS).
It is pretty clear, pretty immediately, that what you are in for here is nonstop puking, in episodes lasting anywhere from a few hours to several days at a time.
The exact cause is unknown, though there are a number of factors thought to contribute: emotional stress (particularly in children), hot weather, overeating, fatigue, migraines.
A diagnosis of CVS is most common among young children, though the number of diagnoses among adults is increasing—and one of the reasons for that increase may be pot.
A study published in 2012 found that marijuana use may be as high as 40 to 50 percent among male CVS patients. (While studies show that the typical patient for CVS linked to marijuana use is a middle-aged white man, women and minorities are also susceptible.)
Uncontrollable vomiting as a result of marijuana use is also sometimes referred to as “cannibinoid hyperemesis syndrome.” But some researchers say CHS should be considered a subset of CVS, and one literature review states that the “only reliable criterion” to distinguish the two is whether the symptoms completely stop after the person stops smoking.
The two conditions are otherwise “clinically extremely similar, the researchers write.
Katie Heaney – The Atlantic – August 30, 2017.
Want More Investigative Content?
