What causes sudden and persistent hiccups?
Disease description:
Just now while I was eating, I suddenly started hiccuping uncontrollably. What causes sudden and persistent hiccups like this?
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Shen Yonghua
Hiccups that occur suddenly and persistently are also known as hiccoughs. The following are some common causes:
1. Improper diet: Eating too quickly, overeating, or consuming excessive amounts of gas-producing foods such as beans, onions, and carbonated beverages may cause increased gas in the stomach, leading to spasms of the diaphragm and resulting in persistent hiccups.
2. Emotional factors: When experiencing emotional excitement, tension, or anxiety, breathing rate may increase, which can stimulate the diaphragm and cause hiccups. In such cases, regulating one's emotions often helps alleviate the hiccups.
3. Digestive system diseases: Conditions such as gastritis, peptic ulcer, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) may affect food digestion and absorption, causing food to remain in the stomach and produce gas, thereby stimulating the diaphragm and triggering hiccups. Treating these underlying conditions, for example with acid-suppressing medications or gastric mucosal protectants, can help relieve hiccups.
In daily life, it is important to maintain good lifestyle habits, pay attention to dietary hygiene, and undergo regular medical checkups to prevent and promptly detect health issues.
