Often, modern people do not pay attention to minor body signals, indicating that there is a physiological malfunction inside it, which can be a consequence of very serious diseases. Even the seemingly harmless hiccups can be a sign of so many ailments.
Description of the physiological process of hiccups
Hiccups are a sudden violation of the respiratory process, which occurs in the upper respiratory organs when the diaphragm contracts, manifested by unpleasant tremors. The diaphragm is a muscle, which a person cannot influence with his mind. Its reduction depends on the full health of the autonomic nervous system.
In medical practice, hiccups are called diaphragm cramps. During hiccups, the volume of the lungs increases, the thorax instantly changes volume, it is difficult to draw air into the pulmonary sinuses, the irritated mucous membrane of the larynx affects the closure of the glottis, and a certain “ik” is created.
Causes of Hiccups
The following factors cause hiccups:
- hypothermia, especially infants;
- alcohol intoxication, accompanied by an excess of alcohol in the body - food poisoning;
- Overeating, in which the stomach is stretched;
- irritation of the nerve endings of the diaphragm itself;
- intense thirst;
- hunger, dry food;
- quick meal;
- excitement and experience;
- stressful situations;
- a feeling of intense fear and new unknown sensations;
- the development of the initial and middle stages of diseases of the cardiovascular and nervous, as well as the digestive systems, inflammatory processes.
Types of hiccups
Diaphragm contraction can be short-term, only a few minutes, and hiccups can last several days. Depending on the duration of hiccups, the following types of this physiological process of the body are distinguished:
- Central - depends on the health of the central nervous system, hiccups do not pass for several days due to the development of diseases such as meningitis, encephalitis, inflammatory processes of the cerebral cortex;
- peripheral - the result of violations of the physiological structure of the phrenic nerve;
- toxic - can be caused by poisoning with drugs that excite the nerve endings of the larynx.
Diagnosing hiccups
If hiccups do not go away for several days, you need to find out the cause of its occurrence. And only a doctor can do this. This process is called the diagnosis of hiccups. For this, the patient is assigned to undergo several tests, including a blood test for possible signs of kidney disease, infections, diabetes, an examination of the esophagus with the help of endoscopic medical devices, an examination of the diaphragm with the help of an X-ray for various pathologies and deformities.
If hiccups on their own do not go away for several days, you can not hesitate with the diagnosis. The sooner the reason becomes clear, the lower the risk of being in a hospital bed for a long time.
Such a modern body testing process as tomography helps in a few minutes to examine the patient's body and identify all the causes that cause hiccups as such.
Only a long version of hiccups is diagnosed, but if this phenomenon is fleeting and rare, then the consequences are not so serious as to run to the doctor and sign up for a tomography.
Hiccups tend to cause physical discomfort, because during this phenomenon it is difficult to speak, eat and even breathe in the right rhythm.
Hiccups in children
Children of any age face hiccups, but parents are especially worried when the baby begins to make unusual sounds. The kid can freeze, or overeat, or be afraid of loud sounds that are still unfamiliar to him.
If
hiccups in infants last up to fifteen minutes, then this is a normal temporary physiological process, if this phenomenon lasts more than an hour and often repeats regardless of how the child is dressed - warm or not, and how much he ate, then you need to immediately sound the alarm and go see a doctor.
Many young parents are afraid of the simultaneous hiccups and regurgitation, which are a direct sign of overeating, because the intestines of the baby only learn to perceive food as such, and all these processes are temporary, newly minted mothers forget about them a year after the birth of the baby.
The causes of the phenomenon when hiccups do not pass for several days in infants may be pathological physiological deviations of the respiratory tract and diaphragm.
In older children, hiccups can be caused by fears, suspicious feelings. Prolonged hiccups can be a direct sign of the presence of worms in the child's body.
Hiccups may be a harbinger of vomiting. So, often these two signs are manifested during the acetone syndrome in preschool children.
Hiccups in adults
Adult hiccups may be due to childhood illnesses. If the five-minute “hiccup” passes as suddenly as it appeared, then this does not cause any concern, but if the hiccup does not go away for a long time, you should take a closer look at your general well-being. If in children a slight problem of overeating and cold causes hiccups, then in people of mature age this problem can be associated with diseases of the heart, nervous system and respiratory organs.
Hiccups during pregnancy
With the course of pregnancy, the hiccups do not go away for a long time due to the future mother's fears of childbirth. She is in psychological stress throughout the entire period of bearing the baby, adjusting herself to a certain mood of her new state of health.
Hiccups are even observed in the fetus inside the mother. So you should not be afraid of this phenomenon in the most responsible and positive period of life.
The reason why hiccups do not go away quickly in pregnant women is the proximity of the chest and abdomen. The physiological structure of the woman changes, the abdominal muscles are stretched, due to which you can feel pain in the ribs.
What to do to hiccups?
Since hiccups cause unpleasant sensations at the moments of paying too much attention to a person, one should only draw air into the lungs and hold it for as long as there is enough strength, if necessary, repeat several times.
In order for hiccups to pass, you need to drink a glass of water, calm down, turn your attention to more interesting thoughts and objects.
These actions help with the short-term manifestation of this condition.
Hiccups
There is no unique method for treating hiccups. If this phenomenon is associated with health problems, then only specialists can indicate what to do to prevent hiccups, depending on the diagnosis, they can prescribe such medicines as Haloperidol, Cerucal, Pipolfen, Finlepsin, Motilium "," Scopolamine "," Diphenin.
If the hiccups do not go away for a day, and no medications help, doctors seek to stop the spasm of the diaphragm by blocking its nerve endings with novocaine. The so-called Vishnevsky method is applicable in the most serious cases and is performed surgically. It is this method that improves the functional properties of the nervous system.
Preventative measures
So what to do to keep the hiccups? In cases of serious diagnoses, the prevention is considered to be the elimination of the causes of hiccups, or rather, the elimination of the organism from pathogens of diseases such as meningitis, encephalitis, bone and brain tumors, stomach ulcers and gastritis.
An excellent prophylactic effect on the diaphragm is provided by a sweet drink or pure glucose intake.
Keeping the baby from hiccups helps to keep upright for about half an hour. If the cause of this is hypothermia, you need to dress the child warmer and warm, drink warm
boiled water. If the child was frightened of unknown sounds, they need to be eliminated and calm the baby by calm communication. Lemon juice also helps stop hiccups, a few drops of which in a diluted form can be dripped under the baby's tongue with a pipette. You should not overfeed the baby so that the process does not turn into a chronic one.
In no case can you scare children to stop hiccups, since this seemingly harmless action can turn into a constant stutter, which is a more serious problem than a repeated "hiccup" for several minutes.
Folk remedies for hiccups
Hiccups do not pass, what should I do? You can use the following folk remedies:
- to stop the hiccups, you need to straighten the diaphragm, and it helps to take a deep breath in a standing position, after which you need to sit down and lean forward;
- very effectively affects the cessation of hiccups taking one teaspoon of sugar, which does not need to be drunk with anything;
- if you gulp a glass of water in one breath, a positive effect is also observed;
- helps in many cases, lying on one side for half an hour;
- a cold compress on the throat is also characterized by a positive effect on hiccups;
- affects hiccups and warming with the help of mustard in the throat area;
- spicy food eliminates trouble very quickly;
- gymnastics helps - you need to raise your hands alternately upward and at the same time breathe deeply and slowly;
- from hiccups a warm infusion of water and bay leaves helps;
- It is very useful and effective to drink chamomile tea, which has the property of affecting the nerve endings;
- sneezing caused by allspice is excellent.
Alternative methods can only temporarily relieve the hiccup process of the diaphragm and are more commonly used for short-term symptoms. If hiccups are accompanied by coughing, excessive salivation, pain in the back or chest, you should not hesitate to visit a doctor.
It is interesting to know that, in addition to temporary short and long types of ailment, in rare cases there is also a congenital, pathological hiccup, which is almost impossible to get rid of. But even with this diagnosis, people are able to live.
Always evaluate your well-being, if there are no pains, and the process does not last long, when it is very difficult to fight on your own, then you should not worry.