Hiccups

Hiccups are involuntary actions in our body that stimulate due to a number of reasons that are given below. Sometimes, it occurs for no apparent reason, just happens for a shorter period.

• Overeating
• Eating spicy food
• Alcohol consumption
• Drinking carbonated beverages, such as sodas
• Consuming very hot or very cold foods
• Environmental changes
• Inhaling air during chewing gum 
• Excitement or emotional stress
• Aerophagia (swallowing too much air)

If hiccups persist longer than 48 hours are categorized as some serious complications. The majority of persistent hiccups are generated by the injury or irritation to either the vagus or phrenic nerve. The vagus and phrenic nerves are responsible for controlling the movement of the diaphragm. 

Both nerves stimulate these problems:

• Irritation of your eardrum due to a foreign object
• Throat irritation or soreness
• A goiter (enlargement of the thyroid gland)
• Gastroesophageal reflux (stomach acid backing up into the oesophagus, the tube that moves food from the mouth to the stomach) 
• An oesophageal tumor

If the CNS is damaged then our body has the ability to lose control of hiccups. The following medical conditions can arise:

• Stroke
• Multiple sclerosis (a chronic, degenerative nerve disease)
• Tumours
• Meningitis and encephalitis (infections that can cause swelling in the brain)
• Head trauma or brain injury
• Hydrocephalus (accumulation of fluid on the brain)
• Neurosyphilis and other brain infections

Other causes of persistent Hiccups are:

• Alcohol overuse
• Tobacco use
• An anaesthesia reaction after surgery
• Certain classes of drugs, including barbiturates, steroids, and tranquilizers
• Diabetes
• An electrolyte imbalance
• Kidney failure
• Arteriovenous malformation (a condition in which arteries and veins are tangled in the brain)
• Cancer and chemotherapy treatments
• Parkinson’s disease (a degenerative brain disease)