Non-Stop Hiccups: Warning Sign of a Heart Attack?

We've all heard the typical signs of a heart attack - chest pain, difficulty breathing, nausea, dizziness, sweating. Do we need to add hiccups to the list?

According to a case study in the January issue of the American Journal of Emergency Medicine, non-stop hiccups were the only warning sign of a heart attack in a 68-year-old man. The man went to the ER after hiccuping every four to six seconds for four days. He had no other health complaints, so after examining him the doctors gave him a muscle relaxant and another drug to ease hiccups and sent him on his way.

The drugs failed to stop his hiccuping and he was back in the ER two days later. Because he was an older man with several risk factors for heart disease, including diabetes, smoking and high blood pressure, he was given an EKG, which revealed several heart rhythm abnormalities. Subsequent blood tests revealed high levels of a protein that is released when the heart muscle has been recently damaged, confirming the diagnosis of a small heart attack.

Hiccups are an extremely rare and highly unusual sign of a heart attack. In fact, cases like this one are so few and far between that the last documented one happened more than 50 years ago. The study's authors explained that when a heart is not getting enough oxygen because less blood is flowing through a diseased artery, this can irritate the nerves of the diaphragm and cause hiccuping. They also pointed out even when hiccuping is present during a heart attack, it is usually accompanied by other concerning symptoms.

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