Hiccups

I think hiccup cures were really invented for the amusement of the patient's friends ― Bill Watterson

Hiccups
Hiccups

image by: Simon Hildrew

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Has science solved the mystery of the hiccup? Don't hold your breath

Far from being a problem that's easily solved by standing on your head, the ailment's cause and cure remain elusive. It happens in the blink of an eye: your breathing muscles contract, your vocal cords clamp shut and out comes that unmistakable sound: "hic".

We all get hiccups from time to time. So do cats, rats and human foetuses. Perhaps you ate too quickly, got too excited or drank something carbonated. Or you are coming out of anaesthesia after an operation. But often there's no clear trigger. Doctors don't know what purpose they serve, nor do they know how to make them go away.

In other words, the humble hiccup remains largely a mystery. And just as theories abound…

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 Has science solved the mystery of the hiccup? Don't hold your breath

Far from being a problem that's easily solved by standing on your head, the ailment's cause and cure remain elusive.

Meter Health

To date, there has been no standard of care for clinically-significant Hiccups. Physicians have practiced trial-and-error with off-label usage of 29 different prescription drugs amongst a host of non-drug remedies in attempts to treat clinically-significant Hiccups. One drug, Thorazine (an antipsychotic), was indicated for the Hiccups in 1954, but subsequently had that approval withdrawn. Baclofen and Reglan are two of the most commonly-prescribed drugs, though clinical data to support their efficacy is sparse, with no data from randomized controlled trials in cancer. For many patients, the potential risks of side effects and of drug-drug interactions are too severe to support the unapproved usage of these drugs.

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