
Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Motion sickness overview
Introduction
Overview
Overview
Motion sickness or kinetosis is a condition in which a disagreement exists between visually perceived movement and the vestibular system‘s sense of movement. Depending on the cause it can also be referred to as seasickness, carsickness, simulation sickness, airsickness, or space sickness.
Epidemiology and Demographics
Epidemiology and Demographics
About 33% of people are susceptible to motion sickness even in mild circumstances such as being on a boat in calm water, although nearly 66% of people are susceptible in more severe conditions.[1] Approximately 50% of the astronauts in the U.S. space program have suffered from space sickness.[2]
History and Symptoms
History and Symptoms
Dizziness, fatigue, and nausea are the most common symptoms of motion sickness.[3] Sopite syndrome is also a side effect of motion sickness. In fact, nausea in Greek means seasickness (naus means ship).[4][5] If the motion causing nausea is not resolved, the sufferer will frequently vomit. Unlike ordinary sickness, vomiting in motion sickness tends not to relieve the nausea.
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Vishnu Vardhan Serla M.B.B.S. [2]
