Hiccups - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Hiccups are sudden, involuntary contractions of the diaphragm muscle. The term "hiccup" derives from the sound of the event. "Hiccough" erroneously implies an association with respiratory reflexes. The diaphragmatic contraction-actually, many contractions-leads to an urge to breathe in, but the glottis closes the airway so the air inflow is checked. And the peculiar noise of hiccups comes from the attempt to inhale while the air passage is closed. If hiccuping persists, it may be exhausting; occasionally it may indicate underlying disease. Medical help should be obtained. Almost always a physician can stop the hiccuping. Various sedative drugs and tranquilizers may be used. One simple method that very often is successful involves the introduction by the physician of a plastic or rubber suction tube through the nose to a distance of three or four inches to stimulate the pharynx by a jerky to-and-fro movement.

A hiccup bout is any episode lasting more than a few minutes. If hiccups last longer than 48 hours, they are considered persistent or protracted. Hiccups are sudden contractions of the muscles we use to breathe in. Some suggests that hiccups in adults are just the remnant of some primitive reflex, which occur only when this brain circuit is accidentally triggered. Hiccups lasting longer than one month are termed intractable. The longest recorded attack is 6 decades. A hiccup or hiccough-singultus, in medical language-is an involuntary spasmodic contraction of the diaphragm,the flat muscle separating the chest and the abdomen, along with sudden closure of the glottis, the upper opening of the larynx, or voice box. Most hiccups are at worst annoying or embarrassing and soon stop or can be made to stop.

Hiccups is a common condition characterized by the repeated involuntary spasmodic .When you hiccup, your diaphragm and nearby muscles convulse, causing you to briefly gulp air. Some suggested hypotheses include hiccups as a possible muscle exercise for the child's respiratory system prior to birth or as a preventive measure to keep amniotic fluid from entering the lungs. Once started, you'll usually hiccup 63 times or more. Maybe a lot more. This is a dome-shaped muscle at the bottom of your chest, and all hiccups start here. Most hiccups are harmless and they usually stop after a few minutes. The longest hiccup ever known was experienced by an American pig farmer whose hiccups persisted from 1922 to 1987.

Causes of Hiccups

Here are the list of the possible causes of Hiccups :

• If you eat too fast, you can swallow air along with your food and end up with a case of the hiccups.
• A very full stomach can cause bouts of hiccups that go away on their own.
• A sudden change in stomach temperature, such as drinking a hot beverage and then a cold beverage.
• drink bubbly drinks like soda.
• Nervousness.
• Cold air or cold water.
• Drinking too much alcohol.
• Pneumonia .
• Side effects from certain medication (e.g. muscle relaxants) .
• Tumor .
• Overstretching the neck .
• Hiccups can be caused by central nervous system disorders, injury or irritation to the phrenic and vagus nerves, and toxic or metabolic disorders affecting the central or peripheral nervous systems.

Symptoms of Hiccups

Some sign and symptoms related to Hiccups are as follows:

• Hiccups can be described as brief, irritable spasms of your diaphragm that can occur for a few seconds or minutes.
• Recurring cough-like sound
• Hiccupping of a fetus in the womb - pregnant women can often feel or hear the fetus hiccupping
• Constant "hic "sound from the throat
• Hiccup spasms close the muscles in the back of the throat when you exhale, resulting in the typical hiccup sound.

Treatment of Hiccups

Some common treatment methods for Hiccups:

• You can use the method that works best for you. It is a fact that a high level of carbon dioxide in the blood tends to stop hiccups. And you can increase the level by a series of breath-holdings or by rebreathing into a paper bag (not, however, a plastic bag, which can be dangerous).
• Holding one's breath for as long as possible
• Bending forward from the waist and drinking water from the wrong side of a glass.
• Filling a glass with ice cubes and water, and then drinking it slowly (the rapid change of temperature in the esophagus may shut down the hiccup response)
• Pull hard on your tongue.
• Breathing repeatedly into a paper bag for a limited period of time.
• For the common hiccups that will usually stop on their own, home remedies are generally recommended.
• For more severe, persistent hiccups, your doctor may try medications to manage your hiccups. Chlorpromazine (Thorazine) is usually the first prescription medication tried for hiccups, although drugs such as baclofen (Lioresal) and medications for convulsions such as phenytoin (Dilantin) have also been successful.
• For the common hiccups that will usually stop on their own, home remedies are generally recommended.
• Other home methods that may work: holding the tongue and pulling it forward; swallowing dry bread or crushed ice; sipping water slowly or, alternatively, swallowing it rapidly; applying a finger to each eye and gently massaging (never hard); swallowing a teaspoonful of dry sugar. It's not particularly pleasant but often hiccups can be stopped if you induce vomiting by sticking your finger into tho back of your throat.