When Hiccups Won't Stop
Imagine hiccups that don't stop - for hours, even days. Then the nuisance turns into a nightmare. Though relatively uncommon, chronic intractable hiccups can be brought on by a variety of infections, injuries, and metabolic disorders. In some cases, doctors prescribe a dozen or more different remedies, from marcotics to anesthetics; yet the hiccups persist. Now neurologists have discovered that a drug commonly used to treat high-blood pressure can relieve endless hiccupping when nothing else works. The drug, nifedipine, prevents calcium from entering muscle cells, where the mineral may act as a stimulant. One hiccup sufferer who found relief on nifedipine tried to stop taking it after one, three, and six months. Each time, her hiccups returned.
Hiccups...
a) might be brought on by metabolic disorders
b) cause infections
c) cause high - blood pressure
d) cannot be relieved at all
e) prevents calcium from entering muscle cells
