Hiccups :: Causes-Symptoms-Diagnosis-Treatment
What are hiccups?
Who doesn’t get hiccups? they'll happen to anyone at any age. There area unit some belongings you will avoid to forestall hiccups. They’re harmless however, if they last a protracted time, they might be an indication of a severe malady. The longest bout of hiccups lasted sixty years!
Hiccups are a unit of repetitive, uncontrollable contractions of the diaphragm, the muscle structure just under your lungs.
The diaphragm marks the boundary between your chest and abdomen, and it conjointly regulates respiratory. Once your diaphragm contracts, your lungs soak up elements. Once your diaphragm relaxes, your lungs unharness carbonic acid gas.
 |
| hiccups |
The diaphragm getting out of rhythm is what causes hiccups. every spasm of the diaphragm makes the speech organ (voice box) and vocal cords shut suddenly. This ends up in a sharp rush of air into the lungs. Your body reacts with a pant or chirp, making the sound characteristic of hiccups.
There’s no thanks to anticipate hiccups. With every spasm, there’s sometimes a small adjustment of the chest or throat before you create the distinctive hiccup sound.
Most cases of hiccups begin and finish short, for no noticeable reason. Episodes usually last only a few minutes.
Medical terms
Hiccups are an involuntary contraction of the diaphragm — the muscle that separates your chest from your abdomen and plays a vital role in respiration. Every contraction is followed by a sharp closure of your vocal cords that produces the characteristic "hic" sound.
Hiccups could result from an outsized meal, alcoholic or effervescent beverages or sharp excitement. In some cases, hiccups could also be a proof of an associate degree underlying medical condition. For many individuals, a bout of hiccups typically lasts solely many minutes. Rarely, hiccups could persist for months. This will end in weight loss and exhaustion.
Hiccups are a condition that affects the diaphragm a muscle at the bottom of your rib cage The function of the diaphragm is to move air into and out of the lungs when you breathe Hiccups occur when this movement involuntarily occurs in spasms or uncontrollably repetitively snaps back and forth between contracted and expanded states The medical term for hiccup is singultus which comes from the Latin "singu-" meaning "to yelp" and "-ultus," indicating continuous action Other English words that come from this root include "howl" and "
Hiccups are a sudden involuntary contraction of the muscles used in breathing They cause a brief closure of the vocal cords and airway which results in sharp inhalation noises that sound like hiccups Most cases pass within minutes but can last for hours or even days Although this condition is generally not serious it may indicate underlying health conditions such as acid reflux and heart disease
Symptoms Hiccups
Hiccupping is a symptom. It may sometimes be accompanied by a slight tightening sensation in your chest, abdomen or throat.
When to see a doctor
If your hiccups last solely minutes to a handful of hours, you almost certainly don’t ought to see your care supplier. However, if the hiccups last quite some days (typically two), you ought to see him or her. Once the hiccups happen at an equivalent time as symptoms, sort of a headache, hassle keeping your balance, or symptom, it is a symbol of one serious thing a lot of serious. If you have got those symptoms with hiccups, see your care supplier directly or visit the closest hospital room.
Make a rendezvous to visualize your doctor if your hiccups last quite forty eight hours or if they're therefore severe that they cause issues with ingestion, sleeping or respiratory.
Causes Hiccups
The most common triggers for hiccups that last less than 48 hours include:
Drinking carbonated beverages
Drinking too much alcohol
Eating too much
Excitement or emotional stress
Sudden temperature changes
Swallowing air with chewing gum or sucking on candy
Hiccups that last more than 48 hours may be caused by a variety of factors, which can be grouped into the following categories.
Nerve damage or irritation
A reason behind semi permanent hiccups is injury to or irritation of the nervus vagus nerves or musculature nerves, that serve the diaphragm muscle. Factors that will cause injury or irritation to those nerves include:
A hair or something else in your ear touching your eardrum
A tumor, cyst or goiter in your neck
Gastroesophageal reflux
Sore throat or laryngitis
Central nervous system disorders
A tumor or infection in your central systema nervosum or injury to your central systema nervosum as a result of trauma will disrupt your body's traditional management of the hiccup reflex. Examples include:
Encephalitis
Meningitis
Multiple sclerosis
Stroke
Traumatic brain injury
Tumors
Metabolic disorders and drugs
Long-term hiccups can be triggered by:
Alcoholism
Anesthesia
Barbiturates
Diabetes
Electrolyte imbalance
Kidney disease
Steroids
Tranquilizers
Risk factors Hiccups
Men square measure rather more seemingly to develop long hiccups than square measure girls. alternative factors which will increase your risk of hiccups include:
Mental or emotional issues. Anxiety, stress and excitement have been associated with some cases of short-term and long-term hiccups.
Surgery. Some people develop hiccups after undergoing general anesthesia or after procedures that involve abdominal organs.
How do you stop hiccups naturally?
Hiccups are a sudden urge to take quick shallow breaths while making a hacking or spasmodic sound when we swallow These involuntary contractions of the diaphragm can be brought on by anything from eating too fast to having half-chewed food trapped in your esophagus In fact adults usually have about four or five hiccups per minute as they're falling asleep (but don't worry — it's not dangerous) Children get them more often However if you find yourself suffering from persistent hiccups that last for days then you should seek medical care.
Most of the time hiccups are caused by overindulging in food or drink There are other causes as well however Stress and anxiety are often culprits Hiccups can also be a symptom of underlying health issues including heartburn asthma and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
When you get hiccups the vagus nerve sends signals to your brain that cause your diaphragm to contract involuntarily and make that annoying sound Hiccups usually go away on their own within a few minutes or when you laugh or drink water but with persistent cases like yours there are a few tricks you can use to speed up the process No one is sure of exactly why these methods work - all we know is they have worked for others in similar situations.
Is it normal to get hiccups multiple times a day?
If you have hiccups and they don't go away after a few hours, seek medical treatment. Persistent hiccups are an indication of something wrong with your body. They can be a symptom of several conditions including acid indigestion tumors and gastroesophageal reflux disease.
Is there a real cure for hiccups?
There is no real cure for hiccups but there are many remedies that will help control them The best way to stop the hiccups is to drink something cold If you don't want to take a sip of water or any other beverage try holding your breath: many people experience relief by doing so Another effective method is to take a deep breath while swallowing and hold it If this doesn't get rid of the hiccups after several attempts try different things until they subside.
Hiccups are sudden rapid contractions of your diaphragm a muscle that separates your chest from your abdominal cavity Normally your diaphragm relaxes when you inhale and contracts to push air out of your lungs when you exhale When the diaphragm goes into spasm—causing those familiar hiccups—it makes breathing difficult The good news is they rarely last more than 24 hours though there are some strategies to help shorten the unpleasantness and make it easier to get through them.
Complications Hiccups
Prolonged hiccups may interfere with:
Eating
Sleeping
Speech
Wound healing after surgery
Diagnosis Hiccups
Diagnosing hiccups isn't sophisticated. Your tending supplier desires solely to pay attention to the ‘hic’ sound.
However, your tending supplier could perform a physical examination to visualize if associate underlying condition could also be inflicting your hiccups. If the physical examination reveals something of concern, he or she could order tests like imaging tests, examination tests and science lab tests.
During the physical exam, your doctor may perform a neurological exam to check your:
Balance and coordination
Muscle strength and tone
Reflexes
Sight and sense of touch
If your doctor suspects an underlying medical condition may be causing your hiccups, he or she may recommend one or more of the following tests.
Laboratory tests
Samples of your blood may be checked for signs of:
Diabetes
Infection
Kidney disease
Imaging tests
These varieties of tests are also able to discover anatomical abnormalities which will be touching the cranial nerve, nervus spinalis or diaphragm. Imaging tests could include:
Endoscopic tests
These procedures utilize a skinny, versatile tube containing a little camera that is passed down your throat to examine for issues in your gorge or trachea.
Treatment Hiccups
Most cases of hiccups escape on their own while not receiving medical treatment. If AN underlying medical condition is inflicting your hiccups, treatment of that unwellness could eliminate the hiccups. The subsequent treatments are also thought-about for hiccups that have lasted longer than 2 days.
Medications
Drugs that may be used to treat long-term hiccups include:
Baclofen
Chlorpromazine
Metoclopramide
Surgical and other procedures
If less invasive treatments are not effective, your doctor might advocate AN injection of AN anesthetic to dam your nervus spinalis to prevent hiccups.
Another option is to surgically implant a battery-operated device to deliver gentle electrical stimulation to your pneumogastric. This procedure is most typically wont to treat encephalopathy, however it's additionally helped management persistent hiccups.
Lifestyle and home remedies
Although there's no certain way to stop hiccups, if you have a bout of hiccups that lasts longer than a few minutes, the following home remedies may provide relief, although they are unproven:
Breathe into a paper bag
Gargle with ice water
Hold your breath
Sip cold water
If you have chronic hiccups, lifestyle changes may help:
Avoid carbonated beverages and gas-producing foods
Eat smaller meals
Alternative medicine
When long-term hiccups don't respond to other remedies, alternative treatments, such as hypnosis and acupuncture, may be helpful.
Preparing for your appointment
While you may initially consult your family doctor about your persistent hiccups, he or she may refer you to a specialist if you have persistent or severe hiccups.
What you can do
You may want to write a list that includes:
Detailed descriptions of your symptoms
Information about medical problems you've had
Information about the medical problems of your parents or siblings
All the medications and dietary supplements you take
Questions you want to ask the doctor
What to expect from your doctor
Your doctor may ask:
When did your hiccups start?
How often do they occur?
Is there anything that worsens or alleviates them?
What medications are you taking?
Have you had a sore throat or earache?
Do you have indigestion symptoms or bloating?
Have you had a sore throat or changes in your voice?
Have you had chest pain, a cough or difficulty breathing?
Do you have headaches or other neurological symptoms?
General summary
Hiccups are a sudden involuntary contraction of the diaphragm and other abdominal muscles Hiccups also involve rapid opening and closing of the vocal cords (phonation) causing in an abnormal spasmodic breathing noise The condition occurs when there is irritation to or stretching of the phrenic nerve that runs from the brainstem to the lungs The mechanism by which hiccups stop may be due to a reflex action in which nerves prompt closure of the vocal cords after they have been stretched open by muscle contractions.
