Every day of the week, in "Sans Rendez-vous" on Europe 1, Doctor Jimmy Mohamed answers a listener's question about a daily health problem.

This Monday he looks at hiccups, a respiratory tic usually mild, but which has the gift of annoying.

And that can also be worrying, if it lasts.  

Stop breathing for a minute, drink a glass of water upside down, blow into a paper bag… Your entourage will surely have showered you with these many tips from grandmothers, often ineffective, to get rid of an untimely hiccup.

This respiratory contraction is usually harmless, and often disappears after a few minutes.

But a hiccup that lasts for several days or comes back repeatedly should lead you to consult your GP, as Doctor Jimmy Mohamed explains to a listener of

Sans Rendez-vous

, the health program of Europe 1.

Anne-Sophie's question:

"The hiccups occur in me without warning and without my understanding why. I have the impression that there is a psychological reason. What is your opinion?"

Jimmy Mohamed's response:

“Hiccups are the involuntary contraction of a muscle called the diaphragm and intercostal muscles. The diaphragm allows you to breathe, it pushes air into your lungs. Along with this involuntary contraction of the diaphragm, the glottis, which is in the throat, will close, which will slow down the flow of air and trigger that characteristic hiccup sound. We don't really know what hiccups are used for, but scientists believe it is linked to this. which happens during gestation, in the womb of the mother Hiccups are a common trait with all vertebrate animals.

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Find all of Sans rendez-vous every day from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Europe 1 as well as in replay and podcast here

Anne-Sophie suggests a psychological cause for her regularly recurring hiccups, is that possible?

Why not ?

But conventionally, hiccups will occur after a meal that is a little too big, taken too quickly.

The consumption of alcohol, soft drinks, or the alternation of cold and hot foods must also be taken into account.

The contraction of the diaphragm is caused by a stomach that is going to be too full, too dilated. 

While in the vast majority of cases the hiccups are mild, are there any situations that you should be concerned about?

A hiccup is considered chronic from 48 hours of duration.

In these cases, the most common cause is irritation of the esophagus, often from reflux.

But pathology in the lungs, kidney cancer or metabolic diseases can also trigger untimely contractions of the diaphragm.

Any hiccups that last more than 48 hours should therefore require you to go to your general practitioner. 

If I want to get a hiccup, what should I do?

There are treatments. Proton pump inhibitors, that is to say treatments against reflux, but also neuroleptics or anti-emetics can be offered in the most repetitive manifestations. And then there are a few techniques, like holding your breath, which would lower carbon dioxide. Or drink a glass of water. In fact, there are few studies, it is a subject that does not interest scientists much, precisely because in most cases hiccups go away on their own after a few minutes. "