Korean J Pain.  2010 Mar;23(1):42-45.

Treatment of Intractable Hiccups With an Oral Agent Monotherapy of Baclofen: A Case Report

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, School of Medicine, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Korea. ykfolder@wonkwang.ac.kr
  • 2Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, School of Medicine, Sanbon Hospital, Wonkwang University, Gunpo, Korea.

Abstract

Hiccups are an involuntarily powerful spasm of the diaphragm, followed by a sudden inspiration with a closure of the glottis. Hiccups that are caused by gastric distention, spicy foods and neural dysfunction can resolve themselves without any treatment. Some hiccups are associated with certain diseases or they occur postsurgically, and life-restricting intractable hiccups should be treated. The cause of hiccups should be quickly determined so as to administer the proper treatment. Hiccups often remit spontaneously within a short period of time, but they may also occur without remission for a prolonged period in some cases. We report here on a 36-year-old man who suffered with intractable hiccups for 5 years. We administered a single oral dose of baclofen, and then the hiccups disappeared. We conclude that a single dose of baclofen is a good treatment for intractable hiccups.

Keyword

baclofen; intractable hiccups

MeSH Terms

Adult
Baclofen
Diaphragm
Glottis
Hiccup
Humans
Spasm
Baclofen

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