Hiccups in patients with cancer: a multi-site, single-institution study of etiology, severity, complications, interventions, and outcomes

Table 2 Hiccup Characteristic (n = 320)^a

Frequency of hiccups
Daily	194 (62)
Once every few days	28 (9)
Less than the above categories	14 (4)
Cannot tell	84 (26)
Duration
< 1 week	146 (47)
1–4 weeks	75 (24)
> 4 weeks but no more than 6 weeks	4 (1)
> 6 weeks	44 (14)
cannot tell	51 (16)
Cause of hiccups
Esophageal disease	2 (0)
Cancer	7 (2)
Medication (other than chemotherapy)	36 (11)
Multifactorial	19 (6)
Cancer chemotherapy	19 (6)
Other^b	33 (9)
Cannot tell	210 (66)
Complications from hiccups
None	203 (63)
Sleep problems	51 (16)
Hospitalization or emergency department visit	34 (11)
Musculoskeletal pain	23 (7)
Nausea	21 (7)
Vomiting	21 (7)
Shortness of breath	15 (5)
Poor ortal intake	15 (5)
Anxiety/depression	4 (1)
Aspiration	2 (0)
Weight loss	3 (1)
Other^c	15 (5)

^aFor causes and complications, percentages in parentheses do not sum to 100% because of patient overlap in categories
^bOther includes nasogastric tube (5), abdominal distention (4), uremia (3), cerebrovascular accident (3), diaphragmatic irritation from cancer (2), radiation (2), stent migration (1), esophageal stent placement (1), tube feedings (1), choking on food (1), indigestion (1), encephalopathy (1), hiatal hernia (1), enteritis (1), splenomegaly (1), chest tube (1), percutaneous gastric tube (1), anesthesia (1), diaphragmatic irritation from pulmonary infiltrates, esophageal dilatation (1), hyponatremia (1)
^cOther includes fatigue (3), dysphagia (3), choking (2), throat pain (2), difficulty talking (1), delay in radiation (1), hemoptysis (1), compromise in imaging study (1), altered taste (1)

ISSN: 1471-2407