At some point in life, you have experienced the unpleasant sensation that hiccups produce, you have also heard many home remedies to eliminate it, but what is hiccup? I tell you that it is a short, rapid and involuntary contraction of the diaphragm, (due to abnormal impulses from the phrenic nerve) the diaphragm is a muscle that divides the thorax from the abdomen, and when it contracts sharply, the glottis closes (a "capita" that protects the respiratory tract by preventing food from entering them, diverts the passage of the bolus into the digestive system through the esophagus) by quickly closing the glottis, it produces that characteristic sound of hiccups.
Have you ever wondered why do I get hiccups?
There are multiple factors that produce it, to explain it in an orderly way I am going to divide it according to the time of appearance as follows:
Hiccups lasting 48 hours
It is generated by the
Consumption of excessive fats.
Drinking a lot of alcohol
Eat excessively
Sudden emosion
Emotional stress
Sudden changes in temperature
Swallowing air when chewing gum or sucking on candy (from distension of the stomach)
hiccups 58 hours
It may have its origin in a nerve damage or irritation
Tumor or cyst in the neck
Gastroesophageal reflux
Sore throat or larynx
Central nervous system disorders such as
*Meningitis
*Encephalitis
Regarding the treatment we can say that there is the pharmacological and the non-pharmacological.
Among the non-pharmacological is consuming a little water that touches the wall of the pharynx since this stimulates the nerves, inhibiting hiccups. Avoid consuming food in excess or the passage of air causes the stomach to distend generating hiccups, breathing in a paper bag causes the co2 to increase at a central level allowing the hiccups to stop.
Pharmacological treatment includes prokinetics, ruling out malignant lesions, evaluating if the patient has damage to the vagus nerve requiring a vagectomy (removing part of the affected nerve)
So if you have hiccups for more than 48 hours, do not hesitate to consult your doctor. Bye, greetings, see you in the next installment of your Dr. Irina Gonzalez
