Hiccups occur quite often in children. In most cases, it appears only sporadically, from time to time, but in some cases, an unpleasant symptom accompanies the child for a long time and regularly, regardless of external conditions and lifestyle - here we can talk about a serious pathology.
How to correctly determine the cause of hiccups, what effective measures to combat it exist, and how serious the consequences can be? You will read about this and much more in our article.
Causes of hiccups in children 3-7 years old
The list of typical causes of hiccups in children usually includes:
- Hypothermia . Often on the street you can meet a child dressed inappropriately for the weather - too lightly, especially in the autumn-winter period. Similarly, if the microclimate at home is incorrect and the temperature is below sanitary standards, hiccups may appear;
- Poorly balanced diet . Too much, fatty and unhealthy food, eaten dry, carbonated drinks in large quantities, often causes attacks of hiccups;
- Nervous overexcitation . In overly emotional children, who are also active, the symptom may appear during peaks of physical and mental activity.
The most common causes of debilitating pathological hiccups in a child, occurring without visible external signs:
- Parasitic infections, in particular worms and giardiasis;
- Damage to the brain and central nervous system, destruction and compression of the nerve endings of the diaphragm;
- Problems with the gastrointestinal tract, nephritis, diabetes, bronchopulmonary syndromes.
Causes of frequent hiccups in a child
There are certain pathologies that can actually affect the involuntary contraction of the smooth muscle fibers of the diaphragm. In this case, the brain centers do not control the spasm and its duration is a process that can end as suddenly as it began. If a child hiccups all day, then most likely the following factors are the causes of this phenomenon.
Full stomach effect
Occurs in cases where the baby has an increased appetite, eats more than normal for his age, and drinks a lot of fluids. The stomach begins to gradually stretch and exert static pressure on the surface of the diaphragm, disrupting its normal functioning. In this regard, the cerebral cortex senses irritation of nerve impulses and sends a response in the form of synchronous spasms.
Irritable esophagus syndrome
Children over 1 year of age who often consume coarse bakery and confectionery products and cookies do not swallow them without chewing them thoroughly. This provokes the formation of microscopic injuries and scratches on the mucous membrane of the esophagus, which, under the influence of pathogenic microflora, become inflamed and the effect of local irritation is formed with muscle contraction, which ultimately manifests itself in the form of hiccups.
Systematic hypothermia
Not all children live and develop in comfortable conditions. Especially if parents are raising their first child and are not fully familiar with the rules for observing temperature conditions for a child of the appropriate age. If a child is cold, has a wet diaper or items of clothing, then a spasm of the diaphragm muscles is the first signal that the child’s body temperature has dropped to a level below 36 degrees Celsius.
Aerophagia
This medical term, which is often used in practical pediatrics, indicates that the baby is very active, shows a large number of emotions in the form of laughter, crying, and attempts to develop speech. In such situations, small volumes of air enter the cavity of the stomach and intestines. As the gastrointestinal tract fills with oxygen, a slight bloating forms, and all excess gas is eventually removed by the body through an attack of hiccups.
Nervous overstrain
During stressful situations, an increased concentration of adrenaline is released into the blood of children. This hormone causes a sharp contraction of the muscle fibers of the diaphragm. Due to nervous overexcitation, a malfunction occurs in the center of the brain responsible for the act of breathing, which leads to frequent hiccups in the child. Therefore, it is best to provide a comfortable development environment for the baby - without fear, screaming, psychological and physical violence.
Medications
If children have inflammatory diseases, the occurrence of which is associated with a bacterial infection, antibacterial agents based on sulfonamides can be used for therapeutic purposes.
A side effect of this kind of medication is a negative effect on the organs of the gastrointestinal tract, which manifests itself in the form of spasms and bouts of prolonged hiccups.
In addition, as a potential reason that a child often hiccups, one cannot discard such physiological phenomena as inflammatory processes in the organs of the respiratory system (bronchitis, pharyngitis, tracheitis), the digestive tract (colitis, flatulence, damage to the duodenal mucosa, gastritis, irritation intestines), aortic aneurysm, rheumatic processes in the heart muscle.
Diagnosis of causes
Physiologically, the reasons for the formation of short-term and episodic hiccups in a child can be identified independently, carefully, by thoroughly examining the child’s diet, his clothing, compliance with temperature recommendations at home and on the street, as well as daily rhythms of life.
Pathological factors can only be identified by comprehensive medical diagnostics in a specialized institution.
After contacting a pediatrician, a specialist will examine your complaints, conduct an initial examination of the child and a differential study, and then, if necessary, refer you for tests and instrumental examination. Typical activities in this spectrum to search for a disease or syndrome include :
- Blood, urine and feces tests, scrapings, and, if necessary, biopsy;
- Ultrasound, CT and MRI;
- Endoscopic examination, radiography, immunogram and other methods if a specific pathology is suspected.
Diaphragmatic spasm in children from 1 to 3 years old
Why does a child aged 1 to 3 years begin to hiccup? The most common reasons:
- He suckled at his mother's breast for too long, resulting in overeating.
- He experienced a nervous shock, perhaps something frightened him.
At this age, hiccups that persist for a long time in a child can provoke vomiting. Therefore, you need to try to calm the baby by holding him in your arms.
To prevent him from developing hiccups after feeding, you need to make sure that he is in a comfortable position while eating.
It is also not recommended to deny your baby food. Fasting at this age will negatively affect his health and subsequent development.
How to get rid of hiccups in a child
If the cause of hiccups is a pathological factor, then the appropriate individual treatment is prescribed by your pediatrician based on the identified diagnosis, the current state of the child’s body, taking into account the presence of other diseases, including chronic ones. A short-term attack associated with a physiological manifestation can be eliminated independently .
The hiccups themselves occur when the diaphragm spasms or contracts and affects the larynx and vocal cords. Below are the most famous ways to get rid of hiccups depending on the age of children.
Some of the above methods for getting rid of hiccups in children may not work right away - if the result is negative, then try alternative options.
- Children about 1 year old - switch the baby’s attention to a distracted activity, try to calm him down. Give some warm drink, preferably plain water;
- Child 2-5 years old . At this age, you can try special breathing exercises. Together with your child, inhale and exhale as deeply as possible 3-4 times, then hold your breath on the next inhalation and hold it for 20 seconds. Repeat the procedure 4-5 times and with a high degree of probability the diaphragm will straighten and the hiccups will disappear;
- From 1 year and older . Give your child 1 spoon of sugar or a slice of lemon - a very sweet or sour remedy can stop the hiccups;
- From 2 years and older . Let the baby cover his nose with his left palm, raise his head a little and drink plain water at room temperature from a cup, preferably in small sips, slowly and steadily. After 1-2 procedures the symptom usually disappears.
How to stop hiccups in a child?
In most cases, hiccups are nothing to worry about, but they can certainly be uncomfortable.
There are many treatment options for short-term hiccups. Although none of them are backed by scientific evidence, these methods have been proven effective at home in a number of cases.
So, this will help children with hiccups:
- Breathe into a paper bag.
- Eat a teaspoon of granulated sugar.
- Hold the breath.
- Drink a glass of cold water.
- Pull your tongue.
- Lift the uvula (the tissue at the back of the throat) with a spoon.
- Try to intentionally gasp.
- Pull your knees to your chest and sit in this position for a while.
- Close your mouth and nose and exhale forcefully.
- Relax and breathe slowly and restrainedly.
Causes of hiccups in newborns
Physiological hiccups in a newborn baby or infant usually occur for 3 main reasons:
- Hypothermia of the body . Thermoregulation in the youngest children who have recently been born is still extremely unstable, so the slightest fluctuations in ambient temperature, both outdoors and indoors, can lead to hypothermia of the body. One of the manifestations of this process is hiccups;
- Swallowing air . During breastfeeding or using a bottle with a pacifier, the child can swallow air along with food - it enters the stomach and begins to put pressure on the diaphragm, causing an unpleasant symptom;
- Strong crying . Prolonged and intense crying can lead to hiccups.
How to eliminate the causes?
- Carefully monitor the ambient temperature, dress your baby exclusively for the weather and 1 layer of clothing more than for adults. Maintain a constant temperature at home with appropriate humidity - the best option would be 18 degrees Celsius;
- Try to feed your baby on time, avoiding severe starvation, so that he breastfeeds moderately. When feeding from a bottle, do not widen the hole at the nipple so that the liquid flow is minimal - this will protect against overeating, improve the sucking reflex and prevent a large amount of air from entering the child’s stomach;
- Do not leave your child crying a lot - prolonged negative emotions not only cause hiccups but also provoke infant stress, breathing problems and other unpleasant, sometimes even dangerous symptoms.
Diaphragmatic spasm in children over 4 years old
The causes of diaphragmatic spasm in a child of this age are the same as in adults. Most often, hiccups occur in a child due to poor nutrition and psycho-emotional shocks.
Parents should ensure that their child eats properly. It is unacceptable to eat dry baked goods and fast food every day. The child's diet should be measured.
You need to eat vegetables and fruits every day. Also, we must not forget about the need to drink mineral water.
One of the causes of this problem is dehydration or insufficient fluid in the body.
Therefore, when the baby hiccups, he is offered to drink water, but this method will only be effective when the person drinks a large amount of liquid in one gulp.
The cause of diaphragmatic spasm may be worms. As practice shows, cleansing the body of helminths solves the problem of hiccups in children.
What you need to do to rid your child of hiccups
If children often encounter this problem, it is imperative to take them to the hospital to determine the cause of their diaphragmatic spasm.
However, in most cases, this phenomenon is not caused by any diseases, therefore, to get rid of the spasm, you need to use one of the following tips:
- The simplest but most effective way is to hold your breath. However, you should not allow the child to not breathe for too long. This method will help relieve respiratory spasm if you hold your breath for at least 15 seconds.
- The first method can be supplemented with raised hands. Thanks to this position, the chest relaxes and the spasm of the diaphragm can be easily relieved.
- Another good method for getting rid of hiccups is laughter. Parents can tickle their child or tell him a funny joke to distract him from the problem and make him laugh. When the chest begins to contract due to laughter, the diaphragmatic spasm goes away.
- Parents can massage the wings of their baby's nose. The fact is that in this place there are points, when pressed on which the hiccups quickly go away.
- You can also let your baby eat some product that has a strong taste or smell. For example, he can eat a piece of lemon or a pinch of salt.
Perhaps the classic method of treating hiccups is fright. However, you need to be careful with its implementation, because if the baby is very scared, this can lead to emotional stress, as well as poor sleep.
Preventing hiccups in children
To prevent an attack of hiccups in infants and older children, you will need to monitor their diet.
Thus, for an infant, feeding should be carried out only at a time when the baby is hungry, behaves calmly and is not very active.
During feeding, it is necessary to monitor the position of the baby and the rate of drinking milk or formula. It should not be fast so that he does not swallow a lot of air.
If the child eats greedily and quickly, then you need to stop the feeding process and carry the baby in your arms in an upright position. This will relieve gas, after which you can continue eating.
If the baby is bottle-fed, you will need to check the nipple and, if necessary, change it so that the hole on it is the right size.
For older children, it is necessary to make the diet fractional. Thus, meals will be in small portions, but often.
Young mothers may have a lot of milk and the baby simply does not have time to eat everything at once; in this case, it is necessary to express a small amount before meals and only then feed the baby.
If it is noticed that hiccups appear as a result of stress, then it is necessary to exclude such phenomena in order to stop and save the baby from the attack.
You can get more information on methods to stop and prevent hiccups from your pediatrician.
Prolonged hiccups should not be ignored, as they can indicate diseases of the brain, gastrointestinal tract, liver and other organs.
A healthy child should have a similar condition for a couple of hours at most; if the problem is constant and lasts for several days or weeks, then a visit to the doctor is needed.
