|  | Conditions Treatments | Medical Conditions

The Types of Hiccups

Hiccups occur when the diaphragm involuntarily contracts, causing you to produce a "hic" sound because the vocal chords close. This condition commonly happens from eating and drinking too much and too fast and getting excited. Different types of hiccups signal that you have nerve damage or occur because of medical treatments. Visit a doctor if they persist for more than 48 hours to make sure you don't have health-related hiccups.

  1. Nerve Damage

    • Damage or irritation to nerves affecting the diaphragm muscles cause chronic hiccups. Nerve damage may occur from pleurisy or pneumonia, according to MedlinePlus. Pleurisy is a condition in which the lining of the lung and chest become inflamed and infected, making it difficult to breathe. Pneumonia develops when bacteria and viruses travel to your lungs via your nose or mouth. Symptoms of pneumonia include fever, chills and coughing green, yellow or blood mucus.

    Central Nervous System Conditions

    • Chronic hiccups occur when your central nervous system is damaged by a tumor, infection or trauma that causes the hiccup reflex to malfunction. These conditions include strokes, multiple sclerosis, meningitis, encephalitis and traumatic brain injury, according to MayoClinic.com. Meningitis, also called spinal meningitis, causes inflammation of the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms of meningitis consist of high fever, headache and neck pain, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Encephalitis causes brain swelling, and symptoms mimic a cold or the flu.

    Chemotherapy-Induced Hiccups

    • Cancer patients undergoing rounds of chemotherapy experience hiccups because of the multiple drugs used in treatments. More than 30 percent of cancer patients experience hiccups during chemotherapy, according to "Hiccups as an Adverse Reaction to Cancer Chemotherapy," a report published by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The drug dexamethasone has been isolated as a cause of chemotherapy-induced hiccups, according to the report. Dexamethasone treats nausea and vomiting caused by other chemotherapy drugs. ChemoCare.com says this drug causes muscle weakness.

    Surgery Hiccups

    • Surgical procedures and anesthesia increase your risk of suffering from long-term hiccups. When surgeons insert breathing tubes, perform abdominal procedures and move organs around during surgery, your risk of hiccups increase, according to MayoClinic.com. Hiccups occur after abdominal surgery because of air and gas buildup, according to Drugs.com. Anesthesia shuts down the brain's ability to send signals so that surgeons can move body parts around during procedures.

    Diagnosis and Treatment

    • Doctors run a battery of tests to see if you don't have underlying illnesses that cause chronic hiccups. Doctors will take blood samples to check for infections and diseases and perform X-rays, CT scans and MRIs to make sure you don't have nerve damage. Doctors prescribe drugs to treat hiccups or do surgical procedures to fix damaged nerves.

Medical Conditions - Related Articles