If anyone can tell me what "hyperemesis gravidarum" is I will do almost ANYTHING!!?

Question

This is a horrible illness, but that's all I know. I need to know WHAT causes it and why. I had it once, but 3 doctors couldn't give an informative explanation. It's been driving me nuts for over 3 years! By the way--that IS the correct spelling...Thanks.

And, yes, I was pregnant at the time, it did not affect the baby, but I nearly died, according to the doctor who finally treated me. Before treatment I couldn't hold food down and I had diarrhea, rapidly losing weight. Within 2 weeks I went from 126 to103 lbs! I was only about 1 mo. pregnant. Today, my son and I feel great.

Answer 1

Hyperemesis gravidarum is a severe and intractable form of nausea and vomiting that occurs in up to 0.5-2% of all gravid (pregnant) women.

It is a diagnosis of exclusion and may result in weight loss; nutritional deficiencies; and abnormalities in fluids, electrolyte levels, and acid-base balance. The peak incidence is at 8-12 weeks of pregnancy, and symptoms usually resolve by week 20 in all but 10% of patients.

Uncomplicated nausea and vomiting of pregnancy is generally associated with a lower rate of miscarriage, but hyperemesis gravidarum may affect the health and well-being of both the pregnant woman and the fetus.

The etiology of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy is unknown. Many have postulated that nausea and vomiting are protective in pregnancy to reduce exposures to potentially teratogenic materials. Some theories hold that elevated human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) or estradiol levels could be causative, due to correlations in numerous studies between levels and symptoms, but this has not been demonstrated conclusively. Psychological theories of the etiology are falling out of favor, and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology warns that attributing vomiting to psychological disorders has likely impeded progress in understanding the true etiology of hyperemesis gravidarum.

The cause of severe nausea and vomiting in pregnancy has not been identified. Hyperemesis may have a genetic component, as sisters and daughters of women with hyperemesis have a higher incidence.
Hyperemesis is also associated with hyperemesis in prior pregnancy, female gestation, multiple gestation, triploidy, trisomy 21, current or prior molar pregnancy, and hydrops fetalis.
Women with history of motion sickness, migraine headaches, psychiatric illness, pregestational diabetes, high or low pregestational weight, hyperthyroidism, pyridoxine deficiency, and gastrointestinal disorders are also at an increased risk.
Some studies have suggested that Helicobacter pylori infection may play a role in hyperemesis, but the data are inconclusive.
Cigarette smoking and maternal age older than 30 years appear to be protective.

By its very nature, hyperemesis gravidarum (hyper=excessive, emesis=vomiting, gravid=pregnancy) is a disorder of pregnancy. It's not a true illness, per se, but rather a symptom of something else (something associated with the pregnancy, as postulated above). It also resolves after pregnancy. Because you "had it once" - you don't say if you were pregnant then - it's unlikely if the symptoms are continuing and you are NOT pregnant now, that hyperemesis gravidarum is the true concern. Other areas to be investigated and ruled out include differentials such as appendicitis, acute cholecystitis and biliary colic, diabetic ketoacidosis, gastritis and peptic ulcer disease, gastroenteritis, hepatitis, bowel obstruction, ovarian torsion, and pancreatitis.

Good luck and feel better.

Answer 2

I checked out webmd and found this:

Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP), more widely known as morning sickness, is a common condition of pregnancy. Many researchers believe that NVP should be regarded as a continuum of symptoms that may impact an affected woman's physical, mental and social well-being to varying degrees. Hyperemesis gravidarum represents the severe end of the continuum. No specific line exists that separates hyperemesis gravidarum from NVP; in most cases, affected individuals progress from mild or moderate nausea and vomiting to hyperemesis gravidarum. The exact cause of hyperemesis gravidarum is not known.

So as you can see the exact cause is not known.

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Answer 3

It's the morning sickness women get when pregnant, but in this case it's so severe that the woman cannot eat or drink almost at all. I'd love to tell you what causes it, but no one knows. It is thought to be hormonally-related.