Hiccups when suffering from gastroesophageal reflux disease

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Hiccups are a common symptom in people with gastroesophageal reflux disease. Usually hiccups only take place within a few minutes, but there are cases that last for 1-2 days, especially in case of stomach reflux, hiccups last for many years.

1. Why hiccup when gastric reflux?

Hiccups occur when there is an involuntary contraction of the diaphragm, a muscle located between the chest and abdomen. When the diaphragm contracts, the vocal cords close rapidly, causing the characteristic hiccup sound. Hiccups are a natural response of the body, anyone will hiccup many times in their life. Usually hiccups only last for a few minutes, but there are cases that last for 1-2 days, especially cases where hiccups last for many years. The frequency of hiccups also varies from case to case, ranging from 2 to 60 times per minute.
If hiccups occur only for a few minutes to less than 24 hours, this is a normal phenomenon, possibly due to causes such as swallowing food too quickly, too much air in the stomach, lack of water, lack of balance electrolytes, drinking too much alcoholic drinks, using cold drinks when eating hot food, laughing, coughing,... This phenomenon does not affect health and does not require any intervention. Some folk tips can be applied to shorten the time of hiccups. However, if the hiccups persist for more than 48 hours or recur periodically, the hiccups may be due to a medical condition.
Hiccups are a common phenomenon in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease. People with gastroesophageal reflux have hiccups due to gastric juice when refluxing from the stomach into the esophagus, heartburn, flatulence stimulates the diaphragm to contract, causing hiccups. In addition to hiccups, the patient will have typical symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux such as belching, heartburn, heartburn, burning sensation in the abdomen, difficulty swallowing, chest pain, hoarseness, cough, nausea, and vomiting. vomiting, bitter mouth,...

2. Gastroesophageal reflux with hiccups what to do?

2.1. Treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease
Symptoms of external hiccups that cause fatigue and discomfort do not seriously affect health. But if the cause of hiccups is gastric reflux that is not well controlled, it can cause many dangerous complications such as peptic ulcer disease, esophageal stricture, Barrett's esophagus, esophageal cancer, .. Thorough treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease is extremely necessary, when the disease is well controlled, hiccups and other symptoms of the disease will be improved.
The treatment of GERD is a combination of medical treatment with medication and lifestyle changes. The course of treatment is often long, in order for the treatment to achieve good results, the patient must absolutely follow the instructions of the doctor.
Lifestyle changes include measures such as:
Avoid using foods and drinks such as: coffee, chocolate, lemonade, carbonated drinks, vinegar, tomatoes,... Avoid eating less At least 2 hours before going to bed, sleep with your head elevated. Eat small meals, do not eat too full. Do not work, exercise, bend forward after eating. Quit smoking, avoid weight gain. Do not tighten or wear clothes that are too tight. The drugs commonly used to treat acid reflux include:
Acid neutralizing drugs: help relieve symptoms quickly, take 1-3 hours after eating to achieve the best effect. The most commonly used drug is a combination drug between aluminum hydroxide and magnesium hydroxide, the drug has many dosage forms such as tablets, gels, granules, etc. Proton pump inhibitors include drugs such as Omeprazole , Lantoprazol, Pantoprazol, Esomeprazol,... The standard dose is 1 tablet/day, taken 30 minutes before meals, used for 4-8 weeks. If the patient does not respond to treatment, the dose may be doubled over 4-8 weeks. If the patient's condition is improving after 4-8 weeks of treatment, the doctor can apply steps to step down the treatment such as reducing the dose, taking the drug as needed, or stopping the use. The group of drugs that inhibit H2 receptors such as Ranitidine, Cimetidine, Famotidine, ... have good effects in mild and moderate gastric reflux. The usual dose is 1 tablet x 2 times / day, taken 15-30 minutes before meals. If treatment with drugs and lifestyle changes does not work, the patient may be prescribed surgical surgery to prevent reflux. The commonly applied method is laparoscopic Nissen surgery, the anti-reflux efficiency of this method is 80-90%.

2.2. Some methods to help control hiccups effectively
When patients with gastroesophageal reflux have hiccups, to shorten the prolonged hiccups that cause fatigue and discomfort, the patient can apply some of the following methods:
Drink small sips of water: This is a long-standing method in folklore that effectively prevents hiccups. Drinking small sips of water causes the diaphragmatic contractions to be interrupted, the diaphragm does not contract, which quickly stops the hiccups. Breathing regulation: this is also one of the commonly applied methods. Take a deep breath in, hold your breath for about 15 seconds, then gently exhale. Cover your ears: Cover your ears with two index fingers for about three minutes, then take a sip of cold water. The continuous earplugs help to change the pressure in the chest cavity, cold water helps to change the temperature suddenly. These two effects help block contractions of the diaphragm, which helps control hiccups. Smelling pepper powder to induce sneezing helps prevent diaphragmatic spasms and disrupts breathing at that time, helping to control hiccups quickly. In addition, psychological measures such as trying to focus on something very complicated or interesting like solving a math problem, watching football, volleyball, etc. can also reduce hiccups. .
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