what causes hiccups

What causes hiccups? Most people have bouts of hiccups from time to time. In most cases the hiccups start for no apparent reasons, with no obvious causes, last a short while, then stop. Common every day activities such as eating hot & spicy food; drinking carbonated drinks could be what causes hiccups. Also, sudden laughter; intense emotions, i.e. shock, fear, excitement; fumes of all kinds; excess smoking; cold air; or cold water, can be used as examples of what causes hiccups.

Some of the more common fundamental examples of what causes hiccups, particularly prolonged bouts, include: Respiratory e.g. pleurisy. Cardiovascular e.g. pericarditis. Gastrointestinal e.g. appendicitis. Genitourinary e.g. prostate cancer. Central nervous system e.g. trauma. Psychogenic e.g. attention seeking behaviour. Drug induced e.g. benzodiazepines.

What causes a bout of the intractable kind? Again there are many examples such as: excessive alcohol consumption; pneumonia; abdominal surgery; asthma; suffering a stroke; liver/kidney problems; brain tumour affecting the brain's breathing centre; indigestion and side effects from certain medication (e.g. muscle relaxants). Generally they resolve by themselves after a few minutes, but prolonged attacks that last for days or weeks may be symptomatic of deep-seated disorders and what causes hiccups is central to the underlying problem.