What is diaphragmatic spasm?

I believe many friends have not heard of what diaphragm spasm is. In fact, diaphragm spasm is also called gastric neuropathy. The spasm caused by stimulation of the stomach nerves is called diaphragm spasm. Because diaphragm spasm occurs in the stomach, the symptoms are very obvious.

Diaphragm spasm, commonly known as hiccups or gastric neurosis, is a diaphragm dysfunction disease. It is a type of hiccups in which the glottis suddenly closes during inhalation, producing a hiccuping sound. This abnormal contraction of the diaphragm is caused by stimulation of the vagus nerve and phrenic nerve. Clinically, hiccups are a symptom. There are many causes of hiccups, such as eating too fast, eating irritating foods, and inhaling cold air, which cause diaphragm spasms. Mild cases may cause intermittent hiccups, while severe cases may cause continuous hiccups or vomiting, abdominal distension, abdominal pain, and some may even have urinary incontinence.

1. It is more common in young and middle-aged people, and more common in women than in men. Common triggers include eating too cold, too hot, or too spicy food, or being depressed or angry.

2. The main symptom is hiccups, which are frequent and persistent and cannot be controlled. They may be accompanied by vomiting, emotional tension, pain in the chest, diaphragm, abdomen, or belching, poor appetite, and even anorexia or refusal to eat, insomnia, etc.

3. Occasional hiccups, or hiccups when a person is critically ill and about to lose his stomach energy, are short-term symptoms and are not classified as hiccups.

4. X-ray barium meal and gastroscopy examinations showed no signs of organic lesions.

It is an extrapyramidal organic disease characterized by cervical muscle torsion or clonic tilt. The clinical manifestations are slow onset, involuntary rotation of the head to one side, and flexion of the neck to the other side. May be aggravated by emotional excitement. The disease varies from mild or occasional to difficult to treat. The disease can persist throughout life and can cause restrictive movement disorders and postural deformities. The disease usually progresses slowly and then stagnates after 1 to 5 years. Some patients can recover spontaneously within 5 years after onset, usually those who are young and have milder symptoms. One-third of patients have symptoms of dystonia in other parts of the body, such as the eyelids, face, jaw or hands, and involuntary movements (such as spasms) may disappear during sleep. This disease is more common in adults, and the cause is still unknown. Its incidence is related to gender and age, and the incidence in women is usually 1.5 to 1.9 times that in men. The peak age of onset is 50 to 60 years old.

Pathological mechanism

The exact pathological mechanism of spasmodic torticollis has not yet been clarified, but it may be related to the following aspects:

1) Genetic factors: Some localized episodes of adult dystonia are determined by genetics.

2) Trauma: Trauma has always been considered the cause of spasmodic torticollis. Literature reports that 9%-16% of patients have a history of head or neck trauma, which usually occurs weeks to months before the onset of the disease.

3) Vestibular dysfunction: There are reports of increased or asymmetric vestibular-ocular reflex reactivity in patients with spasmodic torticollis, which cannot be corrected after treatment with botulinum toxin. Vestibular abnormalities are not primary abnormalities, and other types of focal dystonia (such as writer's cramp, blepharospasm) may also occur with spasmodic torticollis. Deafness, vertigo, and ataxia are not features of spasmodic torticollis. At the same time, many patients do not have vestibular reflex abnormalities but have spasmodic torticollis for a long time. This may be due to vestibular abnormalities secondary to spasmodic torticollis causing long-term abnormal head posture.