What causes coughs and hiccups? How are coughs and hiccups evaluated and managed? Get the answers to these questions and more in this comprehensive article.

Understanding Coughs and Hiccups

Coughs and hiccups are common occurrences that can be caused by a variety of factors. While they may seem like minor annoyances, they can sometimes be indicative of an underlying medical condition. In this article, we will explore the causes, symptoms, and management of both coughs and hiccups.

Causes of Coughs

Coughing is a natural reflex that helps clear the airways of irritants, mucus, or other foreign matter. The most common causes of coughs include:

• Viral infections, such as the common cold or influenza
• Allergies or asthma
• Acid reflux or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Smoking or exposure to environmental irritants
• Certain medications, such as angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors

Causes of Hiccups

Hiccups are caused by spasms of the diaphragm, the muscle that separates the chest from the abdomen and plays a crucial role in breathing. Common triggers for hiccups include:

• Eating a large meal
• Drinking carbonated or alcoholic beverages
• Sudden temperature changes
• Emotional stress or excitement
• Certain medical conditions, such as nerve damage or irritation, central nervous system disorders, or metabolic issues

Evaluating Coughs and Hiccups

When evaluating coughs and hiccups, your healthcare provider will typically perform a physical examination and may order additional tests, such as:

• Blood tests to check for signs of infection or underlying medical conditions
• Imaging tests, such as chest X-rays, CT scans, or MRI scans, to detect any structural abnormalities
• Endoscopic tests, such as a laryngoscopy or esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), to examine the throat or upper digestive tract

Managing Coughs and Hiccups

The management of coughs and hiccups will depend on the underlying cause. In many cases, over-the-counter medications or home remedies can provide relief. However, in more persistent or severe cases, prescription medications or other medical interventions may be necessary.

For coughs, treatment options may include:

• Cough suppressants or expectorants
• Antihistamines or decongestants for allergy-related coughs
• Acid-reducing medications for GERD-related coughs
• Avoiding triggers, such as smoke or irritants

For hiccups, potential treatment options include:

• Breathing exercises or maneuvers to interrupt the hiccup reflex
• Medications, such as antidepressants or muscle relaxants, in more persistent cases
• Addressing any underlying medical conditions that may be causing the hiccups

When to Seek Medical Attention

Most coughs and hiccups are harmless and resolve on their own within a short period of time. However, you should seek medical attention if:

• Your cough lasts more than a week or is accompanied by other concerning symptoms, such as fever, chest pain, or difficulty breathing
• Your hiccups last for more than 48 hours or are interfering with your ability to eat, drink, or sleep

By understanding the causes and seeking appropriate medical care, you can effectively manage both coughs and hiccups and maintain your overall health and well-being.

Cough vs. Hiccup: What’s the Difference?

While coughs and hiccups may seem similar, they are distinct physiological phenomena. A cough is a reflex action that helps clear the airways, while a hiccup is a sudden, involuntary contraction of the diaphragm muscle that results in a characteristic “hic” sound. Coughs can be triggered by a variety of factors, such as irritation or infection, while hiccups are primarily caused by spasms in the diaphragm muscle.

Conclusion

In conclusion, coughs and hiccups are common occurrences that can have a variety of underlying causes. By understanding the causes, symptoms, and management of these conditions, individuals can effectively address them and maintain their overall health and well-being. If coughs or hiccups persist or are accompanied by other concerning symptoms, it is important to seek medical attention for a proper evaluation and treatment plan.

Hiccups | NCH Healthcare System

Overview

Hiccups: What causes them

Spasms of your diaphragm that you can’t control cause hiccups. The diaphragm is the muscle that separates your chest from your stomach area and plays an important role in breathing. This spasm causes your vocal cords to close briefly, producing a “hic” sound.

Hiccups are repeated spasms or sudden movements of the diaphragm that you can’t control. The diaphragm is the muscle that separates your chest from your stomach area and plays an important role in breathing. A spasm in your diaphragm causes your vocal cords to suddenly close, producing a “hic” sound.

Eating a large meal, drinking alcoholic or carbonated beverages, or getting excited suddenly may cause hiccups. In some cases, hiccups may be a sign of an underlying medical issue. For most people, hiccups usually last only a few minutes. Rarely, hiccups may continue for months. When they last that long, they can result in weight loss and extreme tiredness.

Symptoms

Symptoms include uncontrolled spasms in your diaphragm and a “hic” sound. Sometimes you may feel a slight tightening sensation in your chest, stomach area or throat.

When to see a doctor

Make an appointment to see your health care provider if your hiccups last more than 48 hours or if they’re so severe that they cause issues with eating, sleeping or breathing.

Causes

The most common triggers for hiccups that last less than 48 hours include:

• Drinking carbonated beverages.
• Drinking too much alcohol.
• Eating too much.
• Being excited or under emotional stress.
• Experiencing sudden temperature changes.
• Swallowing air, such as when chewing gum or smoking.

Issues that may cause hiccups to last more than 48 hours include nerve damage or irritation, central nervous system disorders, metabolic issues, and certain drug and alcohol problems.

Nerve damage or irritation

A cause of long-term hiccups is damage to, or irritation of, the vagus nerves or phrenic nerves. These nerves supply the diaphragm muscle.

Factors that may damage or irritate these nerves include:

• A hair or something else in your ear touching your eardrum.
• A tumor, cyst or growth on the thyroid gland in your neck.
• Stomach acid that backs up into your esophagus, the muscular tube that delivers food from your mouth to your stomach.
• Sore throat or laryngitis.

Central nervous system disorders

A tumor or infection in your central nervous system or damage to your central nervous system due to an injury can disrupt your body’s normal control of the hiccup reflex.

Examples include:

• Inflammation of the brain, which also is known as encephalitis.
• Inflammation of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord, which also is known as meningitis.
• Multiple sclerosis, which is the hardening of tissue in the brain or spinal cord that can result in paralysis or tremors.
• Stroke.
• Serious brain injury.
• Tumors.

Metabolic issues

Long-term hiccups may result when your body’s metabolism doesn’t work properly.

Examples of metabolic issues include:

• Diabetes.
• Electrolyte imbalance, which is when your levels of potassium, sodium and other electrolytes are too high or too low.
• Kidney disease.

Certain drugs and alcohol issues

Use of certain drugs or problems with alcohol may cause long-term hiccups.

Examples include:

• Medicines that cause you to feel relaxed and sleepy, such as sedatives or other drugs used for anesthesia.
• A steroid called dexamethasone, which is used to relieve inflammation in conditions such as arthritis, asthma and kidney problems.
• Other steroids.
• Alcohol use disorder.

Risk factors

Males are much more likely to develop long-term hiccups than females. Other factors that may increase your risk of hiccups include:

• Mental or emotional issues. Anxiety, stress and excitement have been linked with some cases of hiccups.
• Surgery. Some people develop hiccups after general anesthesia or procedures that involve organs in the stomach area.

Complications

Ongoing hiccups may interfere with eating, drinking, sleeping and speaking. Hiccups also can worsen pain.

Diagnosis

During the physical exam, your health care provider may perform a neurological exam to check your:

• Balance and coordination.
• Muscle strength and tone.
• Reflexes.
• Sight and sense of touch.

If your health care provider thinks that an underlying medical condition may be causing your hiccups, the provider may recommend one or more of the following tests.

Lab tests

Samples of your blood may be checked for signs of diabetes, infection or kidney disease.

Imaging tests

Imaging tests may be able to detect issues inside your body that may be affecting your diaphragm or the nerve that controls your diaphragm, called the phrenic nerve. Or these tests may show issues with a main nerve in your nervous system, called the vagus nerve. Imaging tests may include a chest X-ray, a CT or an MRI.

Endoscopic tests

These procedures use a thin, flexible tube called an endoscope that contains a tiny camera that is passed down your throat and into your esophagus, sometimes called your food pipe. The purpose is to check for issues in your esophagus or your windpipe.

Treatment

Most cases of hiccups go away on their own without medical treatment. If an underlying medical condition is causing your hiccups, treating that condition may stop the hiccups.

If your hiccups last longer than two days, medicines or certain procedures may be needed.

Medicines

Drugs used to treat long-term hiccups include baclofen, chlorpromazine and metoclopramide.

Procedures

If less invasive treatments aren’t effective, your health care provider may recommend an injection of an anesthetic to block your phrenic nerve to stop hiccups.

Another option is to surgically implant a battery-operated device to deliver mild electrical stimulation to your vagus nerve. This procedure is most commonly used to treat epilepsy, but it also has helped control long-term hiccups.

Lifestyle and home remedies

There’s no certain way to stop hiccups. But if your hiccups last longer than a few minutes, these home remedies may provide relief, although they are not proven:

• Breathe into a paper bag.
• Gargle with ice water.
• Hold your breath.
• Sip cold water.

If you have ongoing hiccups, lifestyle changes may help, such as:

• Avoiding carbonated beverages and foods that give you gas.
• Eating smaller meals.

Alternative medicine

When long-term hiccups don’t respond to other remedies, alternative treatments, such as hypnosis and acupuncture, may help.

Preparing for an appointment

You may initially talk with your family health care provider about your ongoing hiccups. Your health care provider may refer you to a specialist if you have long-term or severe hiccups.

What you can do

Consider writing a list that includes:

• Detailed descriptions of your symptoms.
• Information about health problems you’ve had.
• Information about your parents’ or siblings’ health problems.
• The medications and dietary supplements you take.
• Questions you want to ask your health care provider.

What to expect from your health care provider

Your health care provider may ask:

• When did your hiccups start?
• How often do they happen?
• What worsens or relieves them?
• What medicines 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 symptoms that might be linked to your brain or nervous system?

Preparing for questions will help you make the most of your time with your health care provider.

Update Date: 03-02-2023

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Hiccups: Causes, treatments, and complications

Hiccups happen when a person’s intake of air becomes momentarily blocked. Possible causes include having gas in the stomach, eating spicy food, and having an underlying health condition.

When a hiccup forms, it is because of a sudden, involuntary contraction of the diaphragm at the same time as a contraction of the voice box, or larynx, and the total closure of the glottis, which is where the vocal cords are located. As a result, there is a sudden rush of air into the lungs, accompanied by the familiar “hic” sound.

Hiccups are medically known as synchronous diaphragmatic flutter or singultus. They can occur individually or in bouts. They are often rhythmic, meaning that the interval between each hiccup is relatively constant.

Most people have hiccups from time to time, and they usually resolve without treatment within a few minutes.

Rarely, there may be prolonged or chronic hiccups, which can last for a month or longer. Hiccups that last for longer than 2 months are known as intractable hiccups.

If a bout of hiccups lasts for longer than 48 hours, this is considered persistent, and the person should contact a doctor. This tends to be more common in men than women and could signify a more serious medical condition.

Fast facts on hiccups

• The exact cause of hiccups remains unclear, but experts have linked chronic hiccups to a wide range of conditions, including stroke and gastrointestinal problems.
• Most cases resolve without treatment, but prolonged hiccups can lead to complications such as insomnia and depression.
• If hiccups last for longer than 48 hours, the person should contact a doctor, who may prescribe muscle relaxants.
• Avoiding alcohol and not eating too quickly can reduce the chance of experiencing hiccups.

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The National Organization for Rare Disorders describes hiccups as “an involuntary spasmodic contraction of the muscle at the base of the lungs (diaphragm) followed by the rapid closure of the vocal cords. ”

A wide range of underlying conditions can trigger chronic or persistent hiccups.

Exactly how or why short bouts of hiccups happen remains unclear, but experts have linked some factors to a higher chance of experiencing them. The sections below look at some of these factors in more detail.

Lifestyle factors

The following may trigger hiccups:

• eating hot or spicy food that irritates the phrenic nerve, which is located near the esophagus
• having gas in the stomach that presses against the diaphragm
• eating too much or causing stomach distension
• drinking sodas, hot liquids, or alcoholic drinks, especially carbonated drinks
• experiencing stress or strong emotions

Some medications — such as opiates, benzodiazepines, anesthesia, corticosteroids, barbiturates, and methyldopa — can also cause hiccups.

Medical conditions

Often, hiccups occur unexpectedly, and neither the person nor the doctor can identify their likely cause.

However, doctors have linked chronic hiccups to several conditions. These include:

• gastrointestinal conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease, a small bowel obstruction, or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• respiratory conditions, such as pleurisy of the diaphragm, pneumonia, or asthma
• excessive and habitual consumption of alcohol
• conditions that affect the central nervous system, such as a traumatic brain injury, encephalitis, a brain tumor, or a stroke
• conditions that irritate the vagus nerve, such as meningitis, pharyngitis, or goiter
• psychological reactions, including grief, excitement, anxiety, stress, and shock
• conditions that affect metabolism, including hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, and diabetes
• liver and kidney problems
• cancer, either as a result of damage caused by the condition or as a side effect of the treatment, such as chemotherapy
• conditions of the autonomic nervous system, which also affects breathing, sweating, the heartbeat, hiccups, and coughing

Other conditions that may be related to hiccups include bladder irritation, liver cancer, pancreatitis, pregnancy, and hepatitis. Surgical procedures and lesions may also be risk factors.

Infants may experience hiccups more frequently during or after feeding, as they may swallow food too quickly or overfeed. Hiccups could also be a sign of an infant being full. Therefore, pediatricians typically recommend short feeds with burping breaks.

Hiccups may also occur due to an infant’s breathing and swallowing not yet being in sync. In turn, this can cause an infant to draw breath and swallow, which can produce a hiccup.

Hiccups in infants may also result from changes in stomach temperature. For example, this may be the case if they consume a cold drink then have something warm to eat.

Generally, hiccups tend to be a sign of healthy growth and development. However, frequent hiccups may also result from GERD, which is a common and easily treatable condition in infants.

Hiccups alone are not a sign of reflux. Some other possible symptoms in infants with suspected GERD include:

• crying more frequently
• arching the back excessively during or after feeds
• spitting up more often than usual

Parents and caregivers should consult a pediatrician if they notice that their infant is experiencing several symptoms and suspect that reflux may be causing them.

Most cases of hiccups go away after a few minutes or hours with no medical treatment. If they persist, however, a person should contact a doctor. The following tips may help, but their effectiveness remains unclear.

Tips for getting rid of hiccups

The following tips may help get rid of hiccups:

• Sip ice-cold water slowly or gargle with very cold water.
• Hold the breath for a short time, then breathe out. Do this three or four times every 20 minutes.
• While swallowing, place gentle pressure on the nose.
• Place gentle pressure on the diaphragm.
• Bite on a lemon.
• Swallow some granulated sugar.
• Take a tiny amount of vinegar, just enough to taste.
• Breathe in and out of a paper bag. Never use a plastic bag for this, and never cover the head with the bag.
• Sit down and hug the knees as close to the chest as possible for a short time.
• Lean forward to compress the chest gently.
• Try an alternative remedy, such as acupuncture or hypnosis.
• Gently pull on the tongue.
• Rub the eyes.
• Gently touch one finger to the throat to try to trigger a gag reflex.

Many of these tips have been passed down through generations. They may be effective for some people, but there has been little research to support their use.

Medications

If a person has an underlying condition, managing it will probably resolve the hiccups.

If prolonged hiccups are interfering with a person’s quality of life, a doctor may prescribe a medication.

Chlorpromazine is the first-line treatment, as it is the only medication with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to treat hiccups.

A doctor may recommend the following medications for hiccups if there appears to be no underlying condition:

• metoclopramide (Reglan), which is an antinausea medication that may help some people with hiccups
• baclofen (Lioresal), which is a muscle relaxant (off-label use)
• gabapentin, which is an antiseizure medication that doctors commonly prescribe for neuropathic pain and that can help alleviate the symptoms of hiccups (off-label use)

Ephedrine or ketamine can treat hiccups related to anesthesia or surgery.

For hiccups, doctors usually prescribe a low-dose, 2-week course of medication. They may gradually increase the amount until the hiccups are gone. The course and dosage will depend on the severity of the hiccups, the person’s general health, and age.

Surgery

In severe cases that do not respond to other treatments, a surgeon may inject medication into the phrenic nerve to temporarily block the nerve’s action or sever the phrenic nerve in the neck.

Prolonged hiccups can lead to complications such as:

• Weight loss and dehydration: If the hiccups are long term and occur at short intervals, it can become difficult to eat.
• Insomnia: If prolonged hiccups persist during the sleeping hours, it can be hard to fall asleep or stay asleep.
• Fatigue: Prolonged hiccups can be exhausting, especially if they make it hard to sleep or eat.
• Communication problems: It can be difficult for the person to speak if they have hiccups.
• Depression: Long-term hiccups can increase the risk of developing clinical depression.
• Delayed wound healing: Persistent hiccups can make it harder for post-surgical wounds to heal, thereby increasing the risk of infections or bleeding after surgery.

Other potential complications include an irregular heartbeat and GERD.

Hiccups that last for under 48 hours do not usually need any medical attention because they typically resolve on their own. If they persist for longer than this, the person should consult a doctor.

The doctor may ask:

• when the hiccups began
• how often they occur
• if they are happening all the time
• what the person was doing before the hiccups started

They will likely perform a general physical examination and a neurological exam to check the person’s:

• reflexes
• balance
• coordination
• eyesight
• sense of touch
• muscle strength
• muscle tone

If an underlying condition may be the cause, the doctor may order the following tests:

• blood tests to check for infections, kidney disease, or diabetes
• imaging tests — such as an X-ray, CT scan, or MRI scan — to assess for any anatomical irregularities that may be affecting the phrenic or vagus nerves or the diaphragm
• an endoscopic test, in which a healthcare professional passes an endoscope — which is a flexible tube with a small camera at the end — down the person’s throat to check the windpipe or esophagus
• en electrocardiogram to check for heart-related conditions by measuring electrical activity in the heart

Some causes of hiccups are preventable. A few ways to reduce the chance of experiencing hiccups include:

• avoiding sudden changes in temperature
• not drinking alcohol or sodas
• eating moderately and not too quickly

Most hiccups are brief and go away after a short while. However, if they persist or cause worrying symptoms, the person should contact a doctor.

Hiccups after eating

hiccups after eating

This pathology is an unpleasant, but not fatal deviation from the norm. This process occurs due to the reflex contraction of the diaphragm, which provokes a more impetuous inhalation of atmospheric air and a very rapid closure of the vocal cords, which are regulators of the volume of gas passing through the larynx. Such a process is accompanied by a rather specific, recognizable sound. Most often appears hiccups after eating . In this article, we will try to deal with this problem and find ways to stop it.

Causes of hiccups after eating

Spasm of the diaphragm – this process can bring a lot of discomfort and the causes of hiccups after eating may be different, but they are all associated with increased irritation of the nerve receptors of the vagus and sympathetic nerves “serving” the diaphragm.

Not only medical workers, but also the common man will not be superfluous to know what are causes of hiccups after eating :

• One of the sources of the considered discomfort are diseases of the cerebral cortex, affecting the areas that are responsible for the respiratory centers.
• Diseases affecting the nerve endings extending from the brain cells.
• Overeating can provoke the manifestation of hiccups.
• This may be a reaction of the human body to a specific food product, for example, hot spices, certain plant components with a specific smell.
• Hypothermia can also provoke hiccups, mainly for young children.
• Hiccups can cause too cold or, conversely, hot dishes.
• Wrong diet: food in the “dry food”, food “on the go”.
• Causes of hiccups after eating can be associated with the individual characteristics of the body.
• Hiccups can also be one of the symptoms of a more severe pathology, such as myocardial infarction.
• Tumor of the digestive tract, both benign and malignant.
• Multiple diseases of the central nervous system.
• Hiccups after eating can be caused by pneumonia.
• Uremia – poisoning of the body with protein metabolism products due to impaired kidney function.
• Herniated disc.
• Increased intracranial pressure.
• Gastritis is an inflammatory process or dystrophic changes in the mucous membrane inside the stomach.
• A consequence of a nervous tic.
• Hiccups after eating may occur in the postoperative period if surgery involved the spine or gastrointestinal tract.
• Neoplasms affecting the spinal cord.
• The cause of unpleasant reflexes can be intravenous anesthesia with the use of the drug “Brietal” (sodium methohexital).
• This reflex can also be provoked by some everyday reasons, which can be of a periodic nature.
• The mood of the person with whom he sits at the table can influence the occurrence of the considered discomfort. The digestive process is negatively affected by both a depressed and too excited state.
• The cause of hiccups after eating can also be neurotic. For example, excitement before a responsible exam, speaking in front of a full house.
• Traumatic brain injury.
• Encephalitis – inflammation of the meninges.
• But not only spasm of the diaphragm can provoke hiccups, but also muscle contractions affecting the esophagus. The reason for this process may be stagnant food.
• Diabetes mellitus.
• Ignoring basic nutritional rules: talking while eating, chewing food poorly, swallowing large portions, reading books and newspapers, watching TV or working on a computer, along with eating. Scattering attention to several things at once leads to poor digestion of food, and hence to hiccups.
• Eating in an unnatural position for the work of the digestive tract, when it is difficult to move food along the passage.
• Meningitis is an inflammatory process that affects the brain.

By itself, hiccups are harmless, but they can be an indicator that something has gone wrong in the body. And if such attacks become more frequent, this fact should not be ignored, because it can indicate the development of a rather severe pathology in the body. And how quickly it will be detected and adequate measures taken depends on the fate and life of a person.

Why hiccups start after eating

Probably, there is no person on Earth who at least once in his life would not be plagued by hiccups. It causes a lot of discomfort, but does not threaten human health. If hiccups appear once and rarely enough, then there is no pathology in this case. A little patience and within 1-3 minutes the attack will pass on its own, it will be enough to drink a few sips of water. So why does hiccups start after eating?

This question is asked by many, trying to find the answer to it on their own. The main cause of this pathological manifestation is irritation of the nerve endings of the diaphragm, less often – irritation of the walls of the esophagus. Under normal conditions, the diaphragm functions in its normal rhythm. Inhale – it “goes” down, allowing the breathing apparatus to collect the required amount of air. Exhalation – the diaphragm rises, pushing carbon dioxide out of the human body. If an irritating effect is exerted on her, the rhythm of work is lost, and she begins to move in jerks. Portions of incoming air are different. A sharp intake of a portion of air into the larynx, which is then supplied to the vocal cords, and we get a characteristic, well-known sound.

But this is the direct source of hiccups, and the reasons that provoke him to take this step are quite diverse. Sometimes it is enough to drink soda water, and hiccups are guaranteed – it all depends on the individual characteristics of the human body. Even in a healthy person, if no countermeasures are taken, this unpleasant process can last from five minutes to half an hour.

If the hiccups do not go away longer, you should seek the advice of a qualified doctor, as such symptoms may indicate a serious pathology in the patient.

There is also a conditional division of the hiccups that have arisen: reflex seizures are called episodic, caused by various living conditions. Prolonged hiccups are called seizures caused by one of the diseases of organic origin, while the transformation of one type into another does not occur.

Hiccups after eating in adults

This somewhat uncomfortable process is familiar to every person from an early age and, often, it is not taken seriously. “Someone remembers,” some will say. But if hiccups after eating in adults occur sporadically (celebrating a birthday the day before or going to barbecue with friends), then there is no point in worrying much, next time you just need to monitor the quantity and quality of the food you eat and there will be no problems with hiccups.

Reflex sharp contraction of the diaphragm is a physiological process. And for it to happen, there must be a good reason. And if this reason is similar to the one voiced above, then, indeed, it is advisable to monitor what and how you eat, not to overeat and not to overcool. But, if after analyzing the situation preceding the onset of hiccups after eating in adults, it is not possible to determine the cause of its appearance by the person himself, and the attacks do not go away for a long time, then you should not joke with such symptoms. The hiccup itself will not harm the human body, except that it will bring a few unpleasant minutes (or hours) to its owner, but it can signal a deeper and more serious pathology that affects his body.

If the body of an adult is healthy, and hiccups get it quite often, doctors call constant overeating and hence the stretching of the walls of the stomach one of the main reasons for this pathology. This fact causes hiccups in nine out of ten hiccups. Therefore, a culture of nutrition is very important, which must be instilled in a person from an early age.

Hiccups after eating in a child

A small children’s body is so vulnerable, and reacts to any external or internal stimulus. Especially often, parents have to observe hiccups in their babies, thinking that the child is simply overcooled. But hiccups after eating in a child can occur for other reasons. What are they and is there a need to sound the alarm about this?

Many young mothers are interested in the question: “Why does the baby hiccup and is it possible to help him get rid of hiccups faster?” Pediatricians explain this reflex physiological process by the fact that under the influence of certain factors, the epiglottic area spasms, preventing oxygen from passing through the respiratory tract normally. At the same time, the intercostal muscles and the diaphragm of the chest begin to contract incorrectly, from where such a familiar characteristic sound arises.

If it is cool in the room or outside and the baby starts to hiccup, do not rush to wrap him up – simply, due to the imperfection of thermoregulatory abilities, his body begins to adapt to the conditions surrounding it. A short period of time will be enough for the hiccups to go away on their own.

But most often you can observe hiccups after eating in a child. There are several reasons for this:

• The digestive tract, like the baby’s body, is not yet perfect and continues to grow and develop.
• In the process of feeding, it is necessary to ensure that the child chews food well.
• Due to their innate activity, many babies continue to spin at the table, doing a lot of other actions in parallel with eating. At the same time, his attention is scattered, distracted from the process of eating food. In such a situation, the stomach is not ready to work, which provokes hiccups.
• It is worth making sure that the baby does not chat while eating. Together with food, he also swallows portions of air, which, trying to get out of the child’s body, lead to spasm of muscle tissues and vocal cords.
• Foods that are too dry should not be given to the child. An outdoor sandwich or a few biscuits can cause hiccups in a child.
• A baby can also hiccup from drinking fizzy drinks.

If a small child or schoolchild is prone to hiccups, it is not superfluous to consult a pediatrician. If any domestic factors are the cause of the discomfort, it is enough to exclude them from the baby’s life and the problem will be solved. If it is not possible to eliminate them, then you should try to keep the intensity of the stimulus to a minimum. It is likely that the child will grow up and this problem will go away by itself.

But if hiccups have organic roots, then it is urgently necessary to fully examine the baby so as not to miss any serious illness at an early stage. In any case, brushing aside the problem and self-medicating is not worth it. After all, children are not always able to say what worries them.

Hiccups in a newborn after eating

Sometimes pregnant women feel rhythmic pulsations in their abdomen. Asking a question to an obstetrician-gynecologist, usually, she gets the answer that it’s just her baby hiccups. Doctors know that the fetus, being still in the sixth or eighth week of development, can already get hiccups.

After the child is born, this problem does not go away, making young parents worry. Many of them believe that with hiccups, their baby begins to experience discomfort, pain symptoms, but pediatricians are in a hurry to assure such that hiccups do not bring any discomfort to the baby. The causes of this reflex process may be different, but most often hiccups occur in a newborn after eating.

Such a result of feeding can be:

• If the baby eats very actively and “thrashly”, simultaneously swallowing portions of air, which then try to leave the body.
• A similar situation arises if a young mother has too much milk, it flows quite actively and the child simply tries to have time to swallow it all. In this situation, the mother should express some milk before feeding. But you shouldn’t be too zealous either. The more you drain breast milk, the more of it a woman’s body will produce by the next feeding.
• Another moment that can provoke hiccups in a newborn may be that after eating the baby’s stomach is full and begins to press on the diaphragm, which triggers the hiccup mechanism.
• When bottle-fed, the cause of hiccups may be too large a hole in the nipple.

Reflex spasms are not entirely harmless, they can cause the baby to vomit profusely, and in some cases even vomiting, which prevents him from falling asleep, which quickly exhausts the child’s nervous system. Often occurring hiccups, immediately after a meal, should alert the young mother, perhaps she is not feeding her child correctly, and there may be another, more serious reason. But only a specialist can answer this question.

Diagnosis of hiccups after eating

If the problem under consideration begins to bother a child or an adult, then you should not postpone going to the doctor. Diagnosis of hiccups after eating includes:

• Analysis of patient complaints. The doctor is interested in how long the hiccups appeared, how often, intensively and for a long time it gets the patient.
• The doctor takes anamnesis. He is especially interested in the presence of diabetes mellitus, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and pathologies that provoke an increase in blood glucose levels.
• If necessary, the patient will have to consult a psychiatrist, neurologist, surgeon and/or gastroenterologist.

Treatment of hiccups after eating

Hiccups, as a symptomatology, are not specific, clearly indicating a specific disease. If there are isolated cases of its occurrence, then there is no need to introduce any therapeutic treatment. The specialist can only advise the patient to reconsider his attitude to the regimen and quality of nutrition. If an attack nevertheless happened, doctors advise in this situation to take a few sips of water or, after taking a deep breath, hold the exhalation for as long as a person can withstand.

If we turn to the experience of our ancestors, then there you can find a lot of simple, but quite effective tips.

• If an attack of hiccups has begun, then you can take a piece of sour or bitter fruit (grapefruit, lemon, etc.) into your mouth, lemon juice or a little diluted vinegar will do.
• You can drink a large cup of water in small sips after eating. You should drink slowly, measuredly. If this technique is not very effective, you can do the same, only by tilting your torso forward (as if reaching for an outstretched arm).
• Less pleasant, but no less effective, is the method when, by pressing on the tongue at its base, the gag reflex is evoked.

If an organic pathology has been diagnosed, then the treatment of hiccups after eating includes therapy aimed at stopping the disease that causes discomfort. For example, if the cause of hiccups lies in a pathological violation of the integrity of the walls or contents of the stomach (gastritis), then the gastroenterologist will prescribe a full course of treatment for this disease. If the source of hiccups is meningitis, then effective measures of complex therapy are prescribed by a neuropathologist.

Medical statistics show that quite often the cause of hiccups is an increased stretching of the gastric walls and an excess of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the patient’s blood. Sometimes it is sufficient to remove such gases from the digestive tract. For this, drugs are prescribed that relax the muscles of the esophageal valve. These can be mint drops, motilium, domperidone, cerucal, metoclopramide or domrid.

Cerucal is recommended to be taken half an hour before meals. An adult patient is prescribed a dosage – one tablet three to four times throughout the day. For adolescents who are already 14 years old, the amount of the drug administered is determined by the dose from half to the whole tablet, taken two to three times during the day. If necessary, the dosage can be increased, but it should not exceed two tablets (20 mg) or six tablets per day at a time.

Based on the clinical picture, the attending physician may prescribe the administration of this drug in the form of intramuscular and intravenous injections.

Adult patients and children over 14 years of age one to three times a day, one ampoule, the volume of which is 10 mg.

For children from two years to 14 years – the recommended amount is calculated as 0.1 mg of the drug per kilogram of the baby’s weight. If therapeutic efficacy requires high doses, they can be increased, but the maximum dosage should not exceed the daily figure of 0.5 mg per kilogram of body weight of the child.

This drug is contraindicated for use if the patient has an increased individual intolerance to the component composition of the drug, as well as if there is a history of intestinal obstruction or perforation, pheochromocytoma, internal bleeding, a tendency to epileptic seizures, convulsions, hypersensitivity to sulfites, bronchial asthma. Do not prescribe the drug to women in the first trimester of pregnancy or during the period of breastfeeding a newborn baby and children under two years of age.

Muscle relaxants, such as baclosan, baclofen, and lioresal, are also used to “fight” hiccups.

Baclofen is administered to the body with food intake. The starting dosage is determined in the amount of 5 mg (one tablet) or half a tablet with an active substance concentration of 10 mg, taken three times during the day. Then the dosage begins to increase at intervals of three days. Adult patients are usually given an increase of 30-75 mg daily.

If it becomes necessary to use high therapeutic doses (from 0.075 to 0.1 g), it will be easier to drink tablets with a concentration of 25 mg of the active substance. The maximum allowable daily amount of the drug is 0.1 g.

For children aged one to two years, the daily dosage is prescribed in the range of 10-20 mg.

Babies from two to six daily dosage is prescribed in the range of 20 – 30 mg.

For children from six to ten years old, the daily dosage is determined in the range of 30-60 mg.

For adolescents over ten years old, the calculation of the daily dosage is carried out according to the formula 1.5 – 2 mg per kilogram of the child’s weight.

A contraindication to taking the drug is the tendency of the patient’s body to epileptic seizures, in Parkinson’s disease, in case of increased intolerance to the components of the drug, as well as in the chronic form of kidney dysfunction.

With increased caution, it is necessary to prescribe this drug if the patient has a history of cerebrovascular insufficiency, atherosclerotic lesions of the brain vessels, with peptic ulcers of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

To cope with hiccups, the attending physician may introduce dimethicone, Gascon drop, zeolate into the treatment protocol.

Dimethicone is carried to the preparations of the group of adsorbents. The drug is recommended to use one to two tablets after each meal and immediately before going to bed. Or one tablespoon of the drug in the form of a gel, taken before meals three to six times throughout the day.

Dimethicone contraindications include only hypersensitivity to its component composition. In the event of an allergic reaction, the drug should be discontinued by prescribing another drug in this group, for example, corticosteroids.

If hiccups are particularly persistent, the attending physician has to introduce antipsychotic drugs into the therapy protocol, which effectively affect the reflex centers in the patient’s cerebral cortex. For example, chlorpromazine, chlorpromazine, or haloperidol may be prescribed.

The neuroleptic chlorpromazine is injected into the patient’s body before meals. In this case, the minimum recommended dosages are prescribed – one to three tablets taken two to three times throughout the day. If therapeutically necessary, the dosage can be gradually increased. The duration of taking the drug is determined by the attending doctor individually.

Contraindications for taking this group of drugs are quite extensive and are described in more detail in the instructions attached to the drug. But the main limitations are hypersensitivity to chlorpromazine and / or other components of chlorpromazine, severe renal and / or hepatic dysfunction, impaired hematopoiesis, disorders affecting the spinal cord or brain, acute phase of traumatic brain injury, severe cardiovascular pathologies, cholelithiasis and urolithiasis, thromboembolism, myxedema, angle-closure glaucoma, and some other pathologies. You should not prescribe this drug to women during pregnancy or lactation, as well as to children whose age has not reached one year.

But since in nine cases out of ten the patient has a stretching of the walls of the stomach, which is the result of excessive food intake, the first thing the doctor recommends is to reconsider your diet and diet.

Prevention of hiccups after eating

This reflex discomfort can be of both physiological and psychological genesis, so the prevention of hiccups after eating includes simple but effective tips that allow a person to protect his body in both of these directions.

• The first and most relevant advice is to follow a food culture:
  • Do not overeat.
  • Portions should be small and meals should be frequent.
  • While eating, one should not talk, read newspapers, watch TV, play computer games.
  • Chew food thoroughly.
  • Do not eat “on the go” and “dry food”.
• The atmosphere of the meal should be calm. You should not sit down to eat if a person is excited or, conversely, depressed.
• If hiccups after eating appeared due to worries about the upcoming important event, you should try to calm down and switch your attention to another subject.
• You can find your own, individual way to distract yourself, for example, tie a bright ribbon on your wrist or draw a funny face on the inside of your palm, and, if necessary, look at it.
• Some try to scare the hiccup. This should not be done. A person (both a child and an adult) runs the risk of getting a mental disorder instead of hiccups.
• A simple exercise will also help to calm down: you need to take a deep breath and try not to exhale, as long as you have enough patience, then slowly, slowly, exhale. At the same time, it would not hurt to divert your thoughts to something pleasant.
• If a responsible event is planned, taking a sedative medication can be a preventive measure against hiccups after eating. It can be a tablet of any sedative drug or a simple tea made from lemon balm, valerian, thyme, motherwort and other herbs that have sedative effects. You can hold a glycine tablet under your tongue.
• Outdoor walks are also effective.
• Complete rest.
• Hypothermia should be avoided.

These simple tips will help you forget about hiccups forever, unless of course its cause is one of the diseases of an organic nature.

Prediction of hiccups after eating

It all depends on the source that triggers the mechanism that provokes the process of hiccups. If the cause of this symptom is one of the diseases, then the prognosis of hiccups after eating directly depends on the timeliness and effectiveness of the treatment, but, mostly, it is positive.

If the attacks of reflex spasms are of a domestic nature, then it is enough for a person to reconsider his lifestyle and listen to the above tips and the prognosis of hiccups after eating, in this case, will be simply wonderful. A person will forever forget about such a nuisance as hiccups.

What person does not like to eat well. But for some, this “good” translates into huge amounts of food consumed, for others, it’s small portions of gourmet dishes. But hiccups after eating can “get” both of them. If hiccups appear rarely, from time to time, then you should not worry, you just need to reconsider your diet, maybe some foods just do not suit you. But if hiccups appear with enviable constancy, it should not be ignored. It is worth consulting with a specialist who will help to find out the cause of this pathology and, if necessary, prescribe treatment therapy.

Causes of hiccups, frequent yawning, sneezing: body language

Causes of hiccups, sneezing and yawning are quite serious. Therefore, if you are used to drinking water in small sips during hiccups, without thinking about what hiccups mean, it’s time to pay attention to the signals that the body gives.

Hiccups: Causes

The causes of hiccups in adults are the consumption of alcohol or a large portion of food eaten, especially if it was absorbed very quickly. The causes of hiccups in newborns are overeating, and hiccups in children have other causes, namely, the baby’s desire to drink or if he is cold.

Frequent hiccups: causes

Hiccups, the causes of which are overeating, have the following mechanism of occurrence. So, chewing large pieces of food poorly while quickly absorbing food, a person provokes irritation of the vagus nerve – one of the cranial nerves that runs along the pharynx and esophagus from the brain to the diaphragm and stomach. When large pieces of food travel down the esophagus, they irritate the vagus nerve, and it sends signals to the muscle fibers of the stomach and esophagus, causing spasms – hiccups.

These spasms are trying to get rid of the swelling of the esophageal mucosa.

Hiccups: how to get rid of?

If you have hiccups after drinking alcohol, drinking cold water in small sips will help get rid of it. Holding your breath helps with hiccups caused by overeating. In addition, you can try other methods: eat a teaspoon of sugar without drinking water, or hold a slice of lemon in your mouth for several minutes.

Sneezing: causes

Frequent sneezing, which is caused by the accumulation of dust in the nasal cavity, helps to get rid of all the excess from the nose, so that the “garbage” does not enter the nasopharynx. The norm is 2-3 sneezes in a row.

Frequent sneezing, the causes of which are clarified above, if it happens more than 10 times in a row, most likely signals the presence of edema on the nasal mucosa. For the body, edema is an irritant that it tries to “sneeze out”, but the edema does not go away from this. In this case, you can try to drip vasoconstrictor drops into the nose, with the help of which the swelling will be eliminated.

Yawning: Causes

Frequent yawning has its causes – hypoxia, when the brain lacks oxygen. Therefore, a person needs a deep and strong breath, because when yawning, much more air is inhaled than with a normal breath.