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Hiccups not always as harmless as you may think
A study finds that persistent and intractable hiccups may indicate that you have "an underlying medical condition or disease".
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There are no formal guidelines for dealing with hiccups. (Shutterstock/Nicoleta Ionescu)
M
ost consider hiccups one of those bodily reactions that are annoying but harmless: Just drink some water or hold your breath, are some of the suggestions you may hear when suffering from hiccups.
However, one should indeed consider it a serious issue when this "spasmodic inhalation with closure of the glottis accompanied by a peculiar sound" occurs for more than two days, known as persistent hiccups, or even more than a month, dubbed intractable hiccups.
According to usnews.com, a study has found that persistent and intractable hiccups may indicate "an underlying medical condition or disease", including cancer, septic arthritis or pulmonary embolism.
"It seems like it could be any number of issues with the lungs, or anything that affects the diaphragm," said Matthew Wodziak, an assistant professor of neurology at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois.
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Despite the lack of any formal guidelines regarding the treatment of hiccups, a research co-authored by Wodziak and published in the journal Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports stated that "hiccups are a common problem that crosses multiple disciplines including neurology, gastroenterology and pulmonology, and primary care", adding that "a number of medications and other therapy have been reported successful for intractable hiccups."
Among these medications are baclofen and gabapentin, which are generally used to heal seizures or convulsions.
Other than medical treatment -- and alternative remedies like holding your breath or shooting vinegar up your nose -- the study interestingly also mentioned sexual intercourse as a potential, and more enjoyable, relief.
"Sexual intercourse was reported to relieve intractable hiccups in a 40-year old man who did not find relief with metoclopramide and chlorpromazine as well as palate massage. According to him, sex with his wife at the moment of ejaculation caused complete cessation of hiccups," read the report. (sop/kes)
