Treatment of hiccups in stroke rehabilitation with gabapentin: A case series and focused clinical review

Fatal posterior circulation stroke with persistent hiccups, sinus arrest and post-hiccup syncope: A case report

“…Some scholars believe that the reflex arc of the hiccup is as follows: The afferent pathway of hiccups includes the sensory fibers of the vagal nerve, the phrenic nerve, and sympathetic nerves from Th6 to Th12; [12,13] ; The hiccup centers mainly include the medulla oblongata, the periaqueductal gray, subthalamic nuclei, phrenic nerve nuclei, reticular formation, and C3 to 5 cervical cord; [12][13][14] the hypothalamus and temporal lobe may have a greater influence on the arc; and; The efferent pathway of hiccups includes the phrenic nerves to the diaphragm, the external intercostal nerves (Th1-Th11) to the intercostal muscles, the cervical spinal nerves to the anterior scalene muscles, and the recurrent laryngeal portion of the vagal nerve to the glottis, which causes glottal closure. [12,14] Many diseases, such as stroke, [15,16] cancer, [17] surgery, [18,19] and COVID-19, [20] can cause hiccup, which can be divided into the following 4 categories according to the etiologies: central, peripheral, global and medication-derived causes. [21] The incidence rate of hiccups in ordinary inpatients is 0.054%, [22] in cancer patients is 3.9% to 4.5%, [23] and in stroke patients is approximately 0.3% (16 per 5309).…”

“…Many diseases, such as stroke, [15,16] cancer, [17] surgery, [18,19] and COVID-19, [20] can cause hiccup, which can be divided into the following 4 categories according to the etiologies: central, peripheral, global and medication-derived causes. [21] The incidence rate of hiccups in ordinary inpatients is 0.054%, [22] in cancer patients is 3.9% to 4.5%, [23] and in stroke patients is approximately 0.3% (16 per 5309).…”