International CVS Awareness Day Date in the current year: March 5, 2024

Cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS) is a chronic functional disorder characterized by recurring vomiting episodes the duration of which may vary from a single day to a few weeks. Each episode consists of four phases: prodrome (pre-emetic), vomiting (emetic), recovery, and inter-episodic (well).

During the prodrome phase, the person will have a feeling of an approaching episode. This phase is characterized by nausea and intense sweating, and can last from several minutes to several hours. The vomiting phase involves severe nausea, retching, and vomiting. The person may throw up or retch every 10 minutes, and a vomiting episode may last from a few hours to days or even weeks. Other symptoms may include dizziness, headache, fever, diarrhea, abdominal pain, drowsiness, sensitivity to light, and loss of appetite.

During the recovery phase, the nausea, retching, and vomiting stop, and other symptoms gradually improve. It can take from a few hours to a few days. The inter-episodic phase is the period when the person experiences no symptoms. It usually lasts from one week to about three months, and then a new episode occurs.

CVS is a debilitating condition that can affect people of all ages, although it is more prevalent in children. Its cause is unknown, but CVS is thought to be closely related to family history of migraines. Treatment depends on the phase and is usually focused on relieving symptoms and preventing dehydration and other complications.

International CVS Awareness Day was created in 2015 by the Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome Association (CVSA), a US-based organization that raises awareness of CVS and provides education and support to people suffering from cyclic vomiting. The main goals of the observance are to increase CVS awareness among the general public and highlight the importance of research into diagnosis and treatment of CVS.

CVSA encourages individuals affected by CVS, their families and caregivers, healthcare professionals, researchers, pharmacological industry representatives, policymakers, and other stakeholders to get involved with International CVS Awareness Day by bringing attention to the syndrome and advocating for improved access to diagnosis and treatment.

Every year, iconic landmarks across the United States and Canada, as well as in some other countries, are lit up in blue (CVS awareness color) as part of the #LightUpCVSAwareness campaign. You can join the campaign by lighting up your home with blue lights or reaching out to your local authorities and asking to light up an important location in your city or town on March 5.

Other ways to get involved with International CVS Awareness Day include wearing a blue shirt or awareness ribbon to start conversations, donating to an organization that supports CVS patients or funds research, organizing a fundraiser, and sharing information about CVS on social media with the hashtags #CVSAwarenessDay, #InternationalCVSAwarenessDay, #LightUpCVSAwareness, and #CVSAwareness.