Hiccups

Hiccups are often funny to those who don't have them, but when the persist they can be difficult to endure. Hiccups are generally not a medical emergency, their cause is mysterious, and there are a million 'cures' out there. But most of the time they go away on their own.

About Hiccups

Hiccups are the sudden and involuntary contractions of the diaphragm muscle. As the muscle contracts repeatedly, the opening between your vocal cords snaps closed to check the inflow of air and that is what makes the hiccup sound. Also, irritation of the nerves that extend from the neck to the chest can cause hiccups. Hiccups can be described as brief, irritable spasms of your diaphragm that can occur for a few seconds or minutes.

Sometimes the hiccups are associated with a variety of ailments in which some can be serious such as pneumonia or when harmful substances build up in the blood (for example from kidney failure). But hiccups are generally not serious and have no clear reason for occurring.

Some causes of hiccups are:

If you eat too fast, you can swallow air along with your food.
Irritating the diaphragm by eating too much (especially fatty foods) or drinking too much (drunk people hiccup) can make you more susceptible to having hiccups. Your stomach, sits underneath and adjacent to the diaphragm and it can get distended or stretched in relation to eating and drinking. Hiccups are sometimes thought to be a reflex to protect you from choking.

When to Seek Medical Care:

You should see a doctor if the hiccups become chronic and persistent (lasting more than 3 hours), if they are affecting your sleeping patterns or they are interfering with eating.

A case of the hiccups is rarely a medical emergency but, if your hiccups last for more than 3 hours, occur with severe abdominal pain, or if you spit up blood, you should seek medical attention.

Hiccups Treatment:
Numerous home remedies for hiccups exist such as:
Holding your breath
Drink a glass of water quickly
Become frightened
Use smelling salts
Pull hard on your tongue
Place ½ a teaspoon of dry sugar on the back of your tongue

The reason that these remedies are thought to work is that carbon dioxide build up in the blood will stop hiccups, which is what happens when you hold your breath. If the vagus nerve that runs from the brain to the stomach is stimulated, hiccups can also be alleviated (this is what is happening when you drink water or pull on your tongue).

For more severe or persistent hiccups, your doctor may try medications to manage your hiccups. Chlorpromazine (Thorazine) is usually the first prescription medication doctors recommend for hiccups, although drugs such as baclofen (Lioresal) and medications for convulsions such as phenytoin (Dilantin) have also been successful.

In extreme cases, surgery to disable the phrenic nerve (the nerve that controls the diaphragm) is often the treatment of last resort.

Recent Hiccups Questions

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