Singultus – colloquially known as hiccups – (Latin: sob, swallow, rattle; ICD-10-GM R06.6: Singultus) is the involuntary contractions of the diaphragm and respiratory accessory muscles with simultaneous closure of the glottis. This results in the typical “hiccupping” sound during inspiration (inhalation).
As a rule, an idiopathic hiccup is present, i.e. no cause can be detected.
Chronic singultus is said to occur when it lasts for more than 48 hours.
A pathological (pathological) cause of hiccups is disorders/diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (gastrointestinal tract; e.g. hiatal hernia, ascites) in about two thirds of cases.
Hiccups can be a symptom of many diseases (see under “Differential diagnoses”).
Course and prognosis: Acute hiccups are considered annoying, but usually disappear as quickly as they came, i.e., no therapy is necessary.The situation is different if the hiccups occur as persistent singultus (“insatiable hiccups”). As a rule, drugs such as baclofen (a drug from the group of muscle relaxants) with or without gabapentin (a drug from the group of anticonvulsants/anticonvulsants) are then used. If gastroesophageal causes are present – e.g. gastroesophageal reflux (reflux disease) – proton pump inhibitors (PPI; acid blockers) or prokinetics (drugs that increase the peristalsis of the gastrointestinal tract) are used.In particularly severe cases, it may be necessary to temporarily block the phrenic nerve. This is done by means of a local anesthetic (local anesthesia).
Note: Persistent singultus always requires medical evaluation!
