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{{Short description|Involuntary contraction of the diaphragm}}
{{Redirect|Hiccups|other uses|Hiccup (disambiguation)}}
{{pp-move-indef}}
{{more citations needed|date=September 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox medical condition (new)
| name            =
| pronounce       = {{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|ɪ|k|ə|p|,_|-|ʌ|p}} {{respell|HIK|əp|,_-|up}}
| synonyms        = Singultus, hiccough, synchronous diaphragmatic flutter (SDF)
}}
A '''hiccup''' (scientific name '''singultus''', from [[Latin]] for "sob, hiccup"; also spelled '''hiccough''') is an [[spasm|involuntary contraction]] ([[myoclonic]] jerk) of the [[diaphragm (anatomy)|diaphragm]] that may repeat several times per minute. The hiccup is an [[involuntary action]] involving a [[reflex arc]].<ref>{{cite journal |pmc=3325297 |date=2012 |last1=Chang |first1=F. Y. |last2=Lu |first2=C. L. |title=Hiccup: Mystery, Nature and Treatment |journal=Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=123–130 |doi=10.5056/jnm.2012.18.2.123 |pmid=22523721 }}</ref> Once triggered, the reflex causes a strong contraction of the diaphragm followed about a quarter of a second later by closure of the epiglottis{{cn|date=December 2024}}, a structure inside of the throat, which results in the "hic" sound.

Hiccups may occur individually or in bouts. The rhythm of the hiccup, or the time between hiccups, tends to be relatively constant. A bout of hiccups generally resolves itself without intervention, although many [[home remedy|home remedies]] are often used to attempt to shorten the duration.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.home-remedies-for-you.com/remedy/Hiccups.html | title =Hiccups | access-date=5 November 2011 | publisher = Home Remedies }}</ref> Medical treatment is occasionally necessary in cases of [[Chronic condition|chronic]] hiccups.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hiccups – Symptoms and causes |url=https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hiccups/symptoms-causes/syc-20352613 |access-date=2023-11-20 |website=Mayo Clinic |language=en}}</ref>

==Incidence==
Hiccups affect people of all ages, even being observed in [[Uterus|utero]]. They become less frequent with advancing age. Intractable hiccups, lasting more than a month, are more common in adults. While males and females are affected equally often, men are more likely to develop protracted and intractable hiccups.<ref name="wilkes">{{cite web|last1=Wilkes|first1=Garry|title=Hiccups|url=http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic252.htm|website=eMedicine|publisher=WebMD|access-date=2023-06-29|archive-date=29 October 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081029001013/http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic252.htm|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref>

Along with humans, hiccups have been studied and observed in [[cats]], [[rats]], [[rabbits]], [[dogs]], and [[horses]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Howes |first1=Daniel |title=Hiccups: A new explanation for the mysterious reflex |journal=BioEssays |date=2012 |volume=34 |issue=6 |pages=451–453 |doi=10.1002/bies.201100194 |pmid=22377831 |pmc=3504071 }}</ref>
== Signs and symptoms ==
{{listen
|filename     = Hiccupsound.ogg
|title        = Hiccup sound
|description  = The sound of a human hiccup
}}
[[File:Hiccup histogram.svg|thumb|325x325px|Histogram of period (in seconds) between each hiccup in a sequence of 50 samples in about 10 minutes. Mean: 11.40 s. Median: 10.715 s. Standard deviation: 2.88 s. Data set ranges from 6.28 s to 21.36 s.{{Original research inline|date=November 2023|certain=y}}]]
A hiccup consists of a single or a series of breathing [[Thoracic diaphragm|diaphragm]] [[Spasm|spasms]], of variable spacing and duration, and a brief (less than one half second), unexpected, [[shoulder]], [[abdomen]], [[throat]], or full body [[tremor]].

== Causes ==
===Pathophysiological causes===
* Food stuck in the esophagus<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hoffmann |first=Herbert |date=June 1982 |title=Hiccups: An Occasional Sign of Esophageal Obstruction |url=https://www.gastrojournal.org/article/0016-5085(82)90081-6/pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240808040704/https://www.gastrojournal.org/article/0016-5085(82)90081-6/pdf |archive-date=8 August 2024 |archive-format=PDF |access-date=8 August 2024 |website=Gastroenterology |format=PDF}}</ref>
* [[Aerophagia|Swallowing air]] excessively<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/tc/hiccups-topic-overview |title=Hiccups |publisher=WebMD |access-date=6 February 2014}}</ref>
* [[Gastroesophageal reflux disease|Gastroesophageal reflux]]<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease |url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001311/ |encyclopedia=A.D.A.M Medical Encyclopedia |publisher=PubMed Health |access-date=18 July 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140104160640/http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001311/ |archive-date=4 January 2014}}</ref>
* [[Hiatal hernia]]<ref name="Willis-2003">{{cite journal|last1=Willis|first1=FM|title=Chronic hiccups|journal=Modern Drugs Discovery|date=2003|volume=6|issue=6|url=http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/archive/mdd/v06/i06/toc/toc_i06.html|access-date=12 October 2016}}</ref>
* Rapid eating<ref name="Howes2012">{{cite journal | last1 = Howes | first1 = D. | title = Hiccups: A new explanation for the mysterious reflex | journal = BioEssays | volume = 34 | issue = 6 | pages = 451–453| year = 2012 | pmid = 22377831| pmc = 3504071| doi = 10.1002/bies.201100194 }}</ref>
* [[Alcohol (drug)|Alcohol]] or carbonated beverages<ref>{{cite web | url=https://health.osu.edu/health/general-health/when-are-hiccups-serious | title=When are hiccups serious? | date=30 July 2024 | publisher=Ohio State University | access-date=18 August 2024 }}</ref>
* Spicy foods<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.umm.edu/pediatrics/pdf/newsletter_win09.pdf |title=Hiccups Happen! |publisher=University of Maryland Hospital for Children |access-date=2 April 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120110140402/http://www.umm.edu/pediatrics/pdf/newsletter_win09.pdf |archive-date=10 January 2012}}</ref>
* [[Opiate|Opiate drug]] use<ref>{{cite journal|title=Hiccup and apparent myoclonus after hydrocodone: review of the opiate-related hiccup and myoclonus literature |journal=Clinical Neuropharmacology |volume=22 |issue=2 |pages= 87–92 |pmid=10202603 |year=1999|last1=Lauterbach|first1=E. C. |doi=10.1097/00002826-199903000-00004}}</ref>
* [[Laughter|Laughing]] vigorously or for a long time<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.livestrong.com/article/241185-causes-of-hiccups/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101125122108/http://www.livestrong.com/article/241185-causes-of-hiccups/|archive-date=2010-11-25|title=Causes of Hiccups |last=Milano |first=Meadow |website=Livestrong |access-date=2 April 2012}}</ref>

Several human conditions can trigger hiccups. In rare cases, they can be a sign of serious medical problems such as [[myocardial infarction]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rueckert |first1=Kamiar Kersten |title=Case Report: From Irregular Hiccups to Acute Myocardial Infarction |journal=The Permanente Journal – Kaiser Permanente |date=January 2020 |volume=24 |issue=5 |page=1 |doi=10.7812/TPP/20.180 |pmid=33635776 |pmc=8817908 |s2cid=232066350 |url=http://www.thepermanentejournal.org/files/2020/tpj20180.pdf |access-date=31 December 2020 |archive-date=14 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210714180315/http://www.thepermanentejournal.org/files/2020/tpj20180.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

====Pre-phrenic nucleus irritation of medulla====
* [[Kidney failure]]<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hiccups/DS00975/DSECTION=causes |title=Hiccups: Causes |publisher=MayoClinic.com |date=2011-06-03 |access-date=2013-07-10}}</ref>

====CNS disorders====
* [[Stroke]]<ref name=":0"/>
* [[Multiple sclerosis]]<ref name='ms'>{{cite journal |vauthors=Witoonpanich R, Pirommai B, Tunlayadechanont S |title=Hiccups and multiple sclerosis |journal=Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand (Chotmaihet Thangphaet) |volume=87 |issue=10 |pages=1168–71 |year=2004 |pmid=15560692}}</ref>
* [[Meningitis]]<ref name=":0"/>

====Nerve damage====
* Damage to the [[vagus nerve]] after surgery<ref name="Willis-2003"/>

====Other known associations====
* Although no clear pathophysiological mechanism has been described, hiccups is known to have been the initial [[symptom]] of ''[[Plasmodium vivax]]'' [[malaria]] in at least one documented case.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Guadarrama-Conzuelo|first1=F|last2=Saad Manzanera|first2=A D|date=2019-09-01|title=Singultus as an Unusual Debut of Plasmodium vivax Malaria|journal=Cureus|volume=11|issue=9|pages=e5548|doi=10.7759/cureus.5548|doi-access=free|pmid=31695971|pmc=6820320}}</ref>
* [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6509965/ Consumption or injection of corticosteroids], most commonly dexamethasone.


=== Evolutionary theories ===
==== The burping reflex hypothesis ====
A leading hypothesis is that hiccups evolved to facilitate greater milk consumption in young mammals.<ref name="Howes2012"/> The coordination of breathing and swallowing during suckling is complicated. Some air inevitably enters the stomach, occupying space that could otherwise be optimally used for calorie-rich milk.

The hypothesis suggests that the presence of an air bubble in the stomach stimulates the sensory (afferent) limb{{Explain|date=May 2025|reason=Not clear what limb means in this context.}} of the reflex through receptors in the stomach, esophagus, and along the underside of the diaphragm. This triggers the active part of the hiccup (efferent limb), sharply contracting the muscles of breathing and relaxing the muscles of the esophagus, then closing the vocal cords to prevent air from entering the lungs. This creates suction in the chest, pulling air from the stomach up into the esophagus. As the respiratory muscles relax, the air is expelled through the mouth, effectively "burping" the animal.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Steger |first1=M. |last2=Schneemann |first2=M. |last3=Fox |first3=M. |date=November 2015  |title=Systemic review: the pathogenesis and pharmacological treatment of hiccups |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26307025/ |journal=Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics |volume=42 |issue=9 |pages=1037–1050 |doi=10.1111/apt.13374 |issn=1365-2036 |pmid=26307025}}</ref>

There are a number of characteristics of hiccups that support this theory. The burping of a suckling infant may increase its capacity for milk by more than 15–25%, bringing a significant survival advantage. There is a strong tendency for infants to get hiccups, and although the reflex persists throughout life, it decreases in frequency with age. The location of the sensory nerves that trigger the reflex suggests it is a response to a condition in the stomach. The component of the reflex that suppresses peristalsis in the esophagus while the airway is being actively blocked suggests the esophagus is involved. Additionally, hiccups are only described in mammals, the group of animals that share the trait of suckling their young.{{fact|date=September 2022}}

==== Phylogenetic hypothesis ====
An international respiratory research group composed of members from Canada, France, and Japan proposed that the hiccup is an evolutionary remnant of earlier [[amphibian]] [[respiratory system|respiration]].<ref name=Straus>{{cite journal |vauthors=Straus C, Vasilakos K, Wilson RJ, Oshima T, Zelter M, Derenne JP, Similowski T, Whitelaw WA | title = A phylogenetic hypothesis for the origin of hiccough | journal = BioEssays | volume = 25 | issue = 2 | pages = 182–188 | date = February 2003 | pmid = 12539245 | doi = 10.1002/bies.10224 | s2cid = 14200209 }}</ref> Amphibians such as [[tadpole]]s gulp air and water across their gills via a rather simple motor reflex akin to [[mammal]]ian hiccuping. The motor pathways that enable hiccuping form early during [[fetus|fetal]] development, before the motor pathways that enable normal [[lung]] ventilation form. Thus, the hiccup is [[evolution]]arily antecedent to modern [[lung]] [[respiratory system|respiration]].

Additionally, this group (C. Straus et al.) points out that hiccups and [[amphibian]] gulping are inhibited by elevated [[CO2|CO<sub>2</sub>]] and may be stopped by [[GABA B receptor|GABA<sub>B</sub>]] [[Sensory receptor|receptor]] [[agonist]]s, illustrating a possible shared physiology and [[evolution]]ary heritage. These proposals may explain why [[premature birth|premature infants]] spend 2.5% of their time hiccuping, possibly gulping like [[amphibian]]s, as their [[lung]]s are not yet fully formed.<ref>{{cite journal | first1 = P | last1 = Kahrilas | first2 = G. | last2 = Shi | title = Why do we hiccup? | journal = Gut | volume = 41 | issue = 5 | pages = 712–713 | year = 1997 | pmc = 1891574 | pmid = 9414986 | doi=10.1136/gut.41.5.712}}</ref>

The phylogenetic hypothesis may explain hiccups as an evolutionary remnant, held over from our amphibious ancestors.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2730251.stm | publisher=BBC News | title=Why we hiccup | date=6 February 2003}}</ref>

==Duration==
Episodes of hiccups usually last under 30 minutes. Prolonged attacks, while rare, can be serious. Root causes of prolonged hiccups episodes are difficult to diagnose.{{FV|date=June 2023}} Such attacks can cause significant morbidity and even death.<ref name="wilkes"/> An episode lasting more than a few minutes is termed a bout; a bout of over 48 hours is termed persistent or protracted. Hiccups lasting longer than a month are termed intractable. In many cases, only a single hemidiaphragm, usually the left one, is affected, although both may be involved.<ref name="wilkes"/>

==Treatment==
Hiccups are normally waited out, as fits will usually pass quickly. Folk cures for hiccups are common and varied. Hiccups are treated medically only in severe and persistent (termed "intractable") cases.<ref name="wilkes"/>

Numerous medical remedies exist, but no particular treatment is known to be especially effective, generally because of a lack of high-quality evidence.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia|title = Hiccups|encyclopedia = The Merck Manual Online|editor-last = Porter|editor-first = Robert S.|publisher = Merck Sharp & Dohme|year = 2011|url = http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/gastrointestinal_disorders/approach_to_the_patient_with_upper_gi_complaints/hiccups.html|access-date = 7 October 2011|archive-date = 14 October 2013|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131014142136/http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/gastrointestinal_disorders/approach_to_the_patient_with_upper_gi_complaints/hiccups.html|url-status = dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|journal=Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews|issue=1|pages=CD008768|last1=Moretto|first1=Emilia N|last2=Wee|first2=Bee|last3=Wiffen|first3=Philip J|last4=Murchison|first4=Andrew G|date=2013-01-31|doi=10.1002/14651858.cd008768.pub2|pmid=23440833|title=Interventions for treating persistent and intractable hiccups in adults|volume=2019|pmc=6452787}}</ref>

A [[vagus nerve stimulator]] has been used with an intractable case of hiccups. "It sends rhythmic bursts of [[electricity]] to the [[brain]] by way of the [[vagus nerve]], which passes through the neck. The [[Food and Drug Administration]] approved the vagus nerve stimulator in 1997 as a way to control seizures in some patients with [[epilepsy]]."<ref>{{Cite news| last = Schaffer | first = Amanda | title = A Horrific Case of Hiccups, a Novel Treatment | work = [[The New York Times]] | date = 10 January 2006 | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/10/health/10hicc.html | access-date = 24 April 2008 }}</ref>

In one person, persistent [[Rectal examination|digital rectal massage]] coincided with terminating intractable hiccups.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Odeh M, Bassan H, Oliven A | title = Termination of intractable hiccups with digital rectal massage | journal = Journal of Internal Medicine | volume = 227 | issue = 2 | pages = 145–6 | date = February 1990 | pmid = 2299306 | doi = 10.1111/j.1365-2796.1990.tb00134.x | s2cid = 20742803 }}</ref>

=== Folk remedies ===
There are many folk remedies for hiccups, including [[Head stand|headstanding]], drinking a glass of water upside-down, being frightened by someone, breathing into a bag, eating a large spoonful of peanut butter, and placing sugar on or under the tongue.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Engleman EG, Lankton J, Lankton B | title = Granulated sugar as treatment for hiccups in conscious patients | journal = The New England Journal of Medicine | volume = 285 | issue = 26 | pages = 1489 | date = December 1971 | pmid = 5122907 | doi = 10.1056/nejm197112232852622 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | title = MacGyver Tip: Cure hiccups with sugar | last = Boswell | first = Wendy | publisher = The People's Pharmacy (Lifehacker) | date = 25 March 2007 | url = http://lifehacker.com/246873/macgyver-tip-cure-hiccups-with-sugar | access-date = 30 November 2009 | archive-date = 2 December 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091202203628/http://lifehacker.com/246873/macgyver-tip-cure-hiccups-with-sugar | url-status = dead }}</ref>

[[Acupressure]], either through actual function or [[placebo effect]], may cure hiccups in some people. For example, one technique is to relax the chest and shoulders and find the deepest points of the indentations directly below the protrusions of the collarbones. The index or middle fingers are inserted into the indents and pressed firmly for sixty seconds, as long, deep breaths are taken.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gach |first1=Michael Reed |title=Acupressure's Potent Points: A Guide to Self-Care for Common Ailments |date=1990 |publisher=Bantam Books |location=New York |isbn=0553349708 |page=272 |oclc=1035683945 |edition=1st |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1035683945}}</ref>

A simple treatment involves increasing the [[partial pressure]] of CO<sub>2</sub> and inhibiting diaphragm activity by holding one's breath or rebreathing into a [[paper bag]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The Two Mechanisms That Make Hiccup Cures Actually Work|url=http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2014/01/the-two-mechanisms-that-make-hiccup-cures-actually-work/|first=Thorin|last=Klosowski|work=[[Lifehacker Australia]]|access-date=16 September 2016|date=30 January 2014}}</ref> Other potential remedies suggested by [[NHS Choices]] include pulling the knees up to the chest and leaning forward, sipping ice-cold water and swallowing some granulated sugar.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2017-12-25|date=15 July 2017|title=Hiccups|url=https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hiccups/|website=[[NHS Choices]]}}</ref>

A breathing exercise called supra-supramaximal inspiration (SSMI) has been shown to stop persistent hiccups. It combines the three principles of [[hypercapnia]], diaphragm immobilization, and [[positive airway pressure]]. First, the subject must exhale completely, then take a deep breath. Then, they must hold their breath for ten seconds. After ten seconds, they must take another small breath without exhaling, then hold their breath for five seconds. Again, without exhaling, they must take another small breath and hold their breath for five seconds. Upon exhaling, the hiccups should be gone.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.jem-journal.com/article/S0736-4679(04)00352-X/fulltext|title=Errata|first1=Luc G.|last1=Morris|first2=Jennifer L.|last2=Marti|first3=David J.|last3=Ziff|date=1 January 2005|journal=Journal of Emergency Medicine|volume=28|issue=1|pages=117–118|via=www.jem-journal.com|doi=10.1016/j.jemermed.2004.11.013|doi-access=free}}</ref>

Drinking through a straw with the ears plugged is a folk remedy that can be successful.<ref name=ellis/> In 2021, a scientific tool with a similar basis was tested on 249 hiccups subjects; the results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Alvarez|first1=James|last2=Anderson|first2=Jane Margaret|last3=Snyder|first3=Patrick Larry|last4=Mirahmadizadeh|first4=Alireza|last5=Godoy|first5=Daniel Agustin|last6=Fox|first6=Mark|last7=Seifi|first7=Ali|title=Evaluation of the Forced Inspiratory Suction and Swallow Tool to Stop Hiccups|journal=JAMA Network Open|volume=4|issue=6|year=2021|pages=e2113933|issn=2574-3805|doi=10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.13933|pmid=34143196|pmc=8214157}}</ref><ref name=ellis>{{Cite web |title=Inventor Says His New Straw Will Cure Hiccups |last=Ellis |first=Ralph |website=Medscape |date=22 June 2021 |url= https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/953553 }}</ref> This device is named '''FISST''' (Forced Inspiratory Suction and Swallow Tool) and branded as "'''HiccAway'''". This study supports the use of FISST as an option to stop transient hiccups, with more than 90% of participants reporting better results than home remedies. HiccAway stops hiccups by forceful suction that is being generated by diaphragm contraction (phrenic nerve activity), followed by swallowing the water, which requires epiglottis closure.<ref>Seifi A, inventor. Hiccup relieving apparatus. US patent application publ. US 2020/0188619 A1. 18 June 2020. US20200188619A1. https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/c1/fa/54/c983a34c045f36/US20200188619A1.pdf</ref>

==Society and culture==
The word ''hiccup'' itself was created through [[Onomatopoeia|imitation]]. The alternative spelling of ''hiccough'' results from the association with the word [[cough]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/hiccup|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160925164544/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/hiccup|url-status=dead|archive-date=25 September 2016|title=Definition of hiccup in English|publisher=Oxford Dictionaries|access-date=8 February 2018}}</ref>
* American Charles Osborne (1894–1991) had hiccups for 68 years, from 1922 to 1990,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/05/health_guinness_medical_record_breakers/html/2.stm |title=In pictures {{!}} Guinness medical record breakers {{!}} Longest attack of hiccups |work=[[BBC News]] |access-date=2 June 2013}}</ref> and was entered in the ''[[Guinness World Records]]'' as the man with the longest attack of hiccups, an estimated 430 million hiccups.<ref>{{Cite news| title = Survivor of 68-Year Hiccup Spell Dies | work = [[Omaha World-Herald]] | date = 5 May 1991 | edition = Sunrise |page=2.B }}</ref>
* In 2007, [[Florida]] teenager [[Jennifer Mee]] gained media fame for hiccuping around 50 times per minute for more than five weeks.<ref>{{Cite news| url = http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17643118 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070318203922/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17643118/ | url-status = dead | archive-date = 18 March 2007 | title = Florida girl hiccuping again after returning to school | date = 16 March 2007 | publisher = [[MSNBC]] }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hiccup-girl-jennifer-mee-may-use-tourettes-defense-says-lawyer/ |title='Hiccup Girl' Jennifer Mee May Use Tourette's Defense, Says Lawyer |date=27 October 2010 |publisher=[[CBS News]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110101233346/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20020853-504083.html |archive-date=1 January 2011 }}</ref>
* British singer Christopher Sands hiccupped an estimated 10 million times in 27 months from February 2007 to May 2009. His condition, which meant that he could hardly eat or sleep, was eventually discovered to be caused by a tumor on his brain stem pushing on nerves, causing him to hiccup every two seconds, 12 hours a day. His hiccups stopped in 2009 following surgery.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/6966747/Singer-who-hiccupped-20-million-times-in-three-years-cured-after-brain-tumour-surgery.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/6966747/Singer-who-hiccupped-20-million-times-in-three-years-cured-after-brain-tumour-surgery.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Singer who hiccupped 20 million times in three years cured after brain tumour surgery|first=Nick|last=Britten|date=11 January 2010|access-date=13 January 2020|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In [[Balts|Baltic]], [[Germans|German]], [[Hungarians|Hungarian]], [[India]]n, [[Romanians|Romanian]], [[Slavs|Slavic]], [[Turkish people|Turkish]], [[Greeks|Greek]] and [[Albanians|Albanian]] tradition, as well as among some [[tribe]]s in [[Kenya]], for example in the [[folklore]] of the [[Luo people]], it is said that hiccups occur when the person experiencing them is being talked about by someone not present.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ujszo.com/cimkek/fokuszban-luca-napja/2003/12/13/a-regi-babonak-napjainkban-is-elnek|language=hu|title=A régi babonák napjainkban is élnek|publisher=ujszo.com|access-date=3 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220035840/http://ujszo.com/cimkek/fokuszban-luca-napja/2003/12/13/a-regi-babonak-napjainkban-is-elnek|archive-date=20 December 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Schersch|first1=Ursula|title=Schluckauf: Wer denkt an mich?|url=https://derstandard.at/1289607909005/Genauer-betrachtet-Schluckauf-Wer-denkt-an-mich|website=Der Standard|access-date=3 April 2018|language=de|date=17 November 2010}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Choking]]
* [[Cough]]
* [[Getting the wind knocked out of you]]
* [[Mr. Hiccup]]
* [[Sneeze]]
* [[Thumps]], a more serious form of hiccups found in equines
* [[Vocal hiccup]]
* [[Yawn]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{Refbegin}}
* Provine, Robert R. ''Curious Behavior: Yawning, Laughing, Hiccupping, and Beyond'' (Harvard University Press; 2012). 246 pages; examines the evolutionary context for humans.
* {{cite journal |last=Shubin |first=Neil |title=Fish Out of Water |journal=Natural History |pages=26–31 |volume=117 |issue=1 |date=February 2008 |id={{INIST|19986878}} }} Hiccup related to reflex in fish and amphibians.
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
{{Medical resources
|  ICD10          = {{ICD10|R|06|6|r|00}}
|  ICD9           = {{ICD9|786.8}}
|  ICDO           =
|  OMIM           =
|  DiseasesDB     = 5887
|  MedlinePlus    = 003068
|  eMedicineSubj  = emerg
|  eMedicineTopic = 252
|  MeshID         = D006606
}}
{{Wiktionary}}
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2730251.stm BBC News: Why we hiccup]
* {{Cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/02/evolution-expla/ |title=Wired: The Best Cure for Hiccups: Remind Your Brain You're Not a Fish |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140722145942/http://www.wired.com/2008/02/evolution-expla/ |archive-date=2014-07-22 |date=Feb 25, 2008 |magazine=Wired}}
* {{cite journal | author = Cymet TC | title = Retrospective analysis of hiccups in patients at a community hospital from 1995–2000 | journal = J Natl Med Assoc | volume = 94 | issue = 6 | pages = 480–3 | date = June 2002 | pmid = 12078929 | pmc = 2594386 }}
* [http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/tc/hiccups-topic-overview WebMD: Hiccups]
* {{Skeptoid | id=4914 | number=914 | date=12 December 2023 | title=Stopping Hiccups with Science}}

{{Circulatory and respiratory system symptoms and signs}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Symptoms and signs: Respiratory system]]
[[Category:Reflexes]]