Coding glossary
Nausea in MedDRA Coding
"Nausea" is one of the most commonly reported adverse events, and one of the easiest to code wrong -- mainly because reporters often mention it alongside vomiting, and the two are distinct events, not one.
Nausea vs. vomiting -- code separately
A verbatim like "nausea and vomiting after taking the drug" describes two separate reportable events, not one combined event. Coding conventions call for capturing each distinct symptom the reporter describes, rather than collapsing related symptoms into a single term for convenience.
Common coding pitfall
Coders under time pressure sometimes code only the more "serious-sounding" symptom (vomiting) and drop nausea entirely, or vice versa. Both should be captured if both are present in the verbatim -- omitting one understates the case's full symptom profile.
Where this sits in the hierarchy
Nausea-type terms live under the Gastrointestinal disorders System Organ Class. As with all terms, the specific Lowest Level Term, Preferred Term, and full hierarchy are licensed MedDRA content requiring an active subscription -- MedDRA Learner's public tier lets you practice the verbatim-to-term matching skill at the LLT level without one.
Keep exploring
More glossary terms
Headache
How a reported 'headache' gets coded during MedDRA adverse event coding -- what the term covers, common pitfalls, and where it sits conceptually in the hierarchy.
GlossaryRash
How 'rash' gets coded during MedDRA adverse event coding -- why specificity in the verbatim matters, and common pitfalls.