Hiccups are a common symptom in people with GERD. 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.

Hiccups are a normal physiological phenomenon. The mechanism that causes hiccups is due to stimulation of the brain-phrenic nerve or phrenic nerve-diaphragm reflex arc. A hiccup usually lasts an average of 5 to 10 minutes but can also last for several hours or even several days, as recorded in the Guinness Book of Records, a hiccup lasting 68 years by Charles Osborne (1894-1991). The frequency of hiccups varies from person to person, averaging from 2 to 60 times/minute.