Nausea: Differential Diagnosis by Symptom Pattern

• •Pain location and relation to meals
• •Stool pattern (watery, bloody, greasy) and vomiting profile
• •Associated systemic signs such as fever or jaundice

• •Fever pattern and inflammatory signs
• •Exposure history, travel risk, and host immunity
• •Organ-localized signs vs systemic sepsis pattern

• •Character of pain and exertional trigger
• •Hemodynamic instability, pulse pattern, and blood pressure
• •ECG and cardiac biomarkers trend

• •Sudden vs progressive neurologic deficit
• •Focal deficits, consciousness changes, and meningeal signs
• •Headache phenotype and trigger pattern

• •Subacute/chronic course with metabolic trigger profile
• •Weight, appetite, and temperature regulation changes
• •Lab pattern consistency across repeated tests

Immediate testing when red flags are present

• •Vital signs and focused triage examination
• •Pulse oximetry and ECG
• •Basic blood panel (CBC, CRP, electrolytes, glucose)
• •Immediate imaging based on dominant red flags

Group-directed workup

• •CBC / CRP
• •Liver panel and lipase
• •Stool tests
• •Abdominal ultrasound
• •CBC with differential
• •CRP / ESR
• •Targeted cultures or PCR
• •Lactate if sepsis concern