Hiccups

Definition

A hiccup or hiccough (both pronounced /ˈhɪkʌp/ HICK-up), is an esophageal contraction of the diaphragm that repeats several times per minute. In humans, the abrupt rush of air into the lungs causes the epiglottis to close, creating the About this sound hic sound (help·info). In medicine, it is known as synchronous diaphragmatic flutter (SDF), or singultus, from the Latin, singult, "the act of catching one's breath while sobbing."[1] The hiccup is an involuntary action involving a reflex arc.

It is thought that a number of specific nerves in the spinal cord at the back of the neck control hiccups. When something triggers these nerves - eating too quickly, for example - a signal is sent to the phrenic nerve, which controls the diaphragm. The diaphragm signals back to the hiccup center and hiccups begin. Within a split second, a structure called the glottis closes off the windpipe, producing the characteristic sound of a hiccup.
The term "hiccup" is also used to describe a small and unrepeated aberration in an otherwise consistent pattern.

A bout of hiccups, in general, resolves itself without intervention, although many home remedies claim to shorten the duration, and medical treatment is occasionally necessary in cases of chronic hiccups.

Types

• Persistent or protracted hiccups: these last for more than 48 hours, but less than one month.
• Intractable hiccups: these last longer than one month.

Causes

Hiccups are caused by many central and peripheral nervous system disorders, all from injury or irritation to the phrenic and vagus nerves, as well as toxic or metabolic disorders affecting the aforementioned systems. Hiccups often occur after drinking carbonated beverages or alcohol. Prolonged laughter is also known to cause hiccups. Persistent or intractable hiccups may be caused by any condition which irritates or damages the relevant nerves. Chemotherapy—which can include a huge amount of different drugs—has been implicated in hiccups (some data states 30 percent of patients),[citation needed] while other studies have not proven such a relationship. Many times chemotherapy is applied to tumors sitting at places that are by themselves prone to cause hiccups, if irritated.

How to Cure

Step 1: Start by inhaling through your mouth until your lungs feel full (when it feels like you cannot inhale any more.... your lungs will basically stop taking in air).

Step 2: Swallow. You are not really swallowing anything but it seems that without this act, it doesn’t work.

Step 3: Now inhale some more until your lungs feel full again. You may not be able to inhale a lot, but do get some more air in. It will start to get difficult to do this as you go, but keep trying. You obviously can’t suck in as much air as you did initially, but just a little will do (think of it as taking a “sip” of air).

Step 4: Swallow again. This too will start to get difficult as you go.

Step 5: Repeat steps 3 and 4 (inhale and swallow) until you cannot swallow again. While it seems you can almost always suck in just a little more air, it is the swallowing that gets to be impossible. When you feel like you cannot swallow again, swallow again anyway. It will be hard to do, your face will probably turn red, and you may make squeaking sounds. But you CAN swallow one last time. By this time, your lungs should also be quite full and it should be difficult to get much more air in as well. While you should try not to let any air out, if you have really repeated steps 3 and 4 as many times as you can, you probably will end up letting a little out before you can take that last swallow. If you find that air keeps escaping out of your nose even early in the process, try squeezing it shut with your fingers.

Step 6: Exhale.

Medical treatment

Hiccups are treated medically only in severe and persistent (termed "intractable") cases, such as in the case of a 15-year-old girl who, in 2007, hiccuped continuously for five weeks. Haloperidol (Haldol, an anti-psychotic and sedative), metoclopramide (Reglan, a gastrointestinal stimulant), and chlorpromazine (Thorazine, an anti-psychotic with strong sedative effects) are used in cases of intractable hiccups. In severe or resistant cases, baclofen, an anti-spasmodic, is sometimes required to suppress hiccups. Effective treatment with sedatives often requires a dose that renders the person either unconscious or highly lethargic. Hence, medicating singultus is done short-term, as the affected individual cannot continue with normal life activities while taking the medication.

Digital rectal massage has been recommended as a remedy that causes immediate cessation of hiccups and which should be tried before resorting to drugs.

Persistent and intractable hiccups due to electrolyte imbalance (hypokalemia, hyponatremia) may benefit from drinking a carbonated beverage containing salt to normalize the potassium-sodium balance in the nervous system. The carbonation promotes quicker absorption. Carbonated beverages have though by themselves a tendency to provoke hiccup in some persons.

The administration of intranasal vinegar was found to ease the chronic and severe hiccups of a three-year old Japanese girl. Vinegar may stimulate the dorsal wall of the nasopharynx, where the pharyngeal branch of the glossopharyngeal nerve (the afferent of the hiccup reflex arc) is located.