Case history
Case history #1
A 50-year-old woman has severe nausea while riding on the subway to work each day. She reports that the nausea is often accompanied by dizziness and an overwhelming urge to close her eyes. Previous history is significant for nausea while trying to read during car rides, which she recalls has been a problem since childhood. She has tried various strategies to manage her symptoms, such as avoiding reading during travel and keeping her head straight, but finds that the nausea persists. She has begun to avoid taking longer subway rides, fearing that she might vomit.
Case history #2
A 15-year-old boy presents after experiencing severe nausea while using a virtual reality headset. He was playing a fast-paced video game that involved rapid movements and shifting perspectives. He initially experienced no symptoms but developed headache, cold sweats, and increasing nausea, which rapidly escalated to vomiting. Symptoms began to subside within a few minutes after the removal of the headset. After this initial episode, he has continued to use the headset over the last month and reports that he no longer experiences symptoms.
Other presentations
Motion sickness is frequently polysymptomatic. Non-nauseous symptoms associated with provocative motion may include sleepiness (referred to as sopite syndrome), difficulty concentrating, headache, dizziness, vertigo, eye strain, disequilibrium, and epigastric discomfort.[1][6][7] Of secondary symptoms, headache may persist throughout the rest of the day; and the emergence of headache during motion may negate any beneficial adaptation or habituation that is taking place.[8] Headache can also be associated with related migraine and alcohol consumption. Other important signs and symptoms include vomiting or retching, sweating or cold sweats, warmth, flushing, pallor, generalised discomfort, excessive salivation, increased sensitivity to odours, loss of appetite, and hyperventilation.[1][9]
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