10 causes of hiccups, including life-threatening
Educational Program Health / / December 19, 2019
If you ikaete, albeit with interruptions, for two days or longer, as soon as possible consult a physician.
Usually, hiccups safe. Her cause involuntary contraction of the diaphragmWhat Causes Hiccups? - a large muscle that separates the chest and abdominal cavity.
Normally, the diaphragm allows us to breathe. When it moves down the chest expands and lungs are able to draw in air. We breathe. When it rises, then it expels air out of the lungs. Exhalation occurs.
The movements of the diaphragm controls the brain. But sometimes fail under its signals, and the diaphragm begins to contract involuntarily. Each spasm light ejected from the air itself, it exits through the throat and shuts the epiglottis and the glottis. This process is accompanied by a characteristic sound - hiccups.
Physiologists still do not quite understand why sometimes the brain go crazy on this simple movement, as the inhale-exhale. However, some factors that are able to trigger hiccups, still managed to install. Just say: sometimes hiccups - a dangerous signal.
When should I seek emergency medical attention
Experts reputable research organization called the Mayo ClinicHiccups two symptoms, which should be as soon as possible address to the therapist:
- hiccups, continued 48 hours or more;
- hiccups less long, but it is so tedious that prevents you from eating, drinking, sleeping, or breathing.
Emergency call is not required. Even in the above situations hiccup itself is not threatened by death. However, it may be a sign of serious diseases that important time to diagnose.
Why do people hiccup
Most often hiccups yourself go through a few minutes. This is called short-term hiccups. However, the short-term it will be considered and, if intermittently or without continuing to two days. But if you ikaete longer, we are talking about long-term or persistent hiccups.
Causes of short-term hiccups
- Drinking carbonated beverages.
- Bust with alcohol.
- Binge eating.
- The sudden change in the ambient temperature. For example, when you leave the house to the wind or, on the contrary, back in from the cold to a warm office or apartment.
- Drinking too hot (optional - acute) or cold food.
- Excitement, agitation, anxiety, stress.
- Accidental swallowing of air. This happens when you chew gum or lick lollipops.
Causes of persistent hiccups
Hiccups, which lasts for more than two days, can cause tens factors. In order not to list individually, they are grouped into three categories.
1. Irritation or nerve damage
It's about the vagus nerves or phrenic - those that control the movement of the diaphragm. Damage or irritate them are:
- Hairs, pieces of dirt or other objects (e.g. small insects) that fall into the ear and touch the eardrum.
- Tumor, cyst, goiter in the neck.
- Laryngitis. So called inflammation of the mucous membranes of the larynx. Most often it is associated with colds or infectious diseases such as measles, whooping cough, scarlet fever.
- Heartburn. It - gastroesophageal reflux disease, in which the acidic gastric juices into the esophagus and irritate its walls.
2. Disorders of the central nervous system (CNS)
Infections, tumors, central nervous system damage due to various kinds of injuries - all of which can cause involuntary spasms of the diaphragm. Here are just a few examples of diseases that fall into this category:
- meningitis;
- encephalitis;
- traumatic brain injury;
- stroke;
- multiple sclerosis;
- brain tumors - both benign and malignant (cancer).
3. Diseases related to metabolism, and taking certain drugs
Persistent hiccups may provoke the following factors:
- diabetes;
- kidney disease;
- electrolyte imbalance;
- uncontrolled reception tranquilizers, steroids, barbiturates, analgesics;
- alcoholism.
What if hiccups
When it comes to short-term hiccups, nothing. She will take 2-3 minutes. There are ways to reduce this period, Layfhaker detail wrote about them here. Choose the one that you enjoy, and act.
When you stand the hiccups obligatory consultation with the therapist. The doctor will conduct inspection and the results will send you to the profile expert - for example, the audiologist to remove a foreign object from the ear or stop developing laryngitis. Or appoint additional analyzes that will help get to the true causes of hiccups.
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