Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsAre Hiccups Dangerous?Causes of HiccupsHow to Stop HiccupsConsiderationsFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Are Hiccups Dangerous?
Causes of Hiccups
How to Stop Hiccups
Considerations
Frequently Asked Questions
Hiccupsare normally short-lived, although some cases may point to underlying health issues. Regardless, it is not common for people to die from hiccups.
When it gets irritated, there would be irregular contractions that force you to suck air into your throat and hit your voice box. As a result, your voice box closes and you hear the “hic” sound of hiccups.
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Hiccups can happen in adults, children, or babies. They are normal, but if your hiccups are not going away for a long period of time, they may signal a more serious health issue.
There are two types of hiccups. The ones that stick around for more than two days are called persistent hiccups, whereas the ones that linger for more than a month are known as intractable hiccups.Intractable hiccups can be part of a larger, underlying medical problem and might not go away until that issue is corrected.
Some of these larger, underlying conditions include:
Hiccups can also happen after surgery and during the recovery process from a procedure. See a healthcare provider if your hiccups last for a long period of time.
Related Symptoms
Persistent hiccups can generally affect your overall well-being. Having hiccups all day can affect your:
And these effects can lead to other problems like:
A lot of things can cause hiccups, from dehydration to illnesses that involve yournervous system. However, there’s no standard list of triggers since you can experience hiccups at any time for no reason.
Common Reasons
A few common causes of hiccups are:
Medications
Some medications can cause hiccups as a side effect, including:
Associated Conditions
Long-term hiccups are a sign that a person might have an underlying condition. They could also be the result of a procedure carried out to treat a different ailment.
Persistent hiccups are associated with diseases of the central nervous system (CNS). Any damage that happens to your CNS—which includes yourbrainand spinal cord—can cause your body to lose control of hiccups.
Conditions that damage the CNS include:
Abnormalities in the vital organs of your body like your liver, lung, heart, and kidney, plus your stomach, can also lead to persistent hiccups. These conditions include:
Say you had an unrelated medical procedure like abronchoscopy. It can lead to long-term hiccups. Other procedures that can cause hiccups include:
1:45Click Play to Learn How to Get Rid of Hiccups
1:45
Click Play to Learn How to Get Rid of Hiccups
Hiccups are completely normal, and they typically last for only a couple of minutes. You can wait it out before rushing to see your doctor.
Although the steps below vary per individual, here are a list of things you can try toget rid of hiccups:
But avoid:
If your hiccups last for more than two days or prevent you from completing daily tasks like sleeping and eating, you should see your doctor immediately.
Often, long-lasting hiccups are a sign of an underlying condition. Your doctor will order various tests to diagnose the illness and treat it effectively.
Nevertheless, these persistent or intractable hiccups can be treated with certain drugs like:
Summary
People don’t usually die from hiccups. However, prolonged hiccups could be a sign that you have an underlying condition that’s causing the hiccups. Some conditions that cause intractable hiccups, which last for more than a month, could be life-threatening if left untreated, such as cancer, stroke, and pneumonia. Therefore, if you have hiccups that won’t go away even after trying home remedies, you should see your doctor.
A Word From Verywell
Generally, hiccups will leave on their own after a few minutes, but they can also last longer—for days to months. When this happens, it could affect your daily activities, and you may experience exhaustion and malnutrition.
Although hiccups are not fatal, their persistence can signal an underlying illness that needs immediate medical attention. If your hiccups last more than 48 hours, see your doctor so they can help you treat them.
Do hiccups affect heart rate?
Yes, hiccups can affect a person’s heart rate, but it depends on the severity of the hiccup. Intractable hiccups are found to cause greater variability in heart rate.
How long do hiccups last on average?
Hiccups lasts between one to two hours on average. But if you notice that your hiccups don’t go away after 48 hours, you have persistent hiccups and should seek immediate medical attention.
What conditions are associated with constant hiccups?
Do terminally ill patients hiccup before death?
7 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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National Cancer Institute.Last days of life (PDQ®)–patient version.
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Nursing Times.The management of hiccups in terminally ill patients.
Wilcox SK, Garry A, Johnson MJ.Novel use of amantadine: to treat hiccups.J Pain Symptom Manag. 2009;38(3):460-465. doi:10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2008.10.008
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