Continuous hiccups may be a warning of esophageal tumor

Continuous hiccups, combined with weight loss and difficulty swallowing, may be a warning sign of esophageal cancer. Some patients with esophageal cancer say they have experienced persistent hiccups. However, until now, hiccups have not been considered a possible precursor to esophageal cancer.

In a study of 99 patients with esophageal cancer, 27% said they had experienced persistent hiccups; another 6% said the hiccups had prompted them to see a doctor.

Hiccups are caused by involuntary spasms of the diaphragm. Eating too fast or too much, coughing, laughing, and drinking too much can all cause hiccups. When hiccups persist, people usually put a paper bag over their mouth and nose and re-breathe the air in the bag to stop the hiccups.

The constant hiccups that occur in people with esophageal tumors may be related to their phrenic nerve, which is the motor nerve for the diaphragm. No one knows why this is, but it may be related to the vagus nerve or the phrenic nerve.

Esophageal cancer is the sixth most common cancer in the world. More than 400,000 new cases of esophageal cancer are discovered each year, and most of them are not discovered until the late stage. Smoking and alcohol abuse are the main factors causing this disease.

Esophageal tumor: http://www..com.cn/zhongliu/sda/sdzl.html