A MAN in Lebanon suffering from hiccups for two years has recently found out that a well-known but rare type of allergy was the cause of his strange medical condition.
Published in the Journal of Medical Case Reports, doctors revealed that the man had been experiencing hiccups on and off for more than two years, which he attempted to treat with a variety of medications, including a muscle relaxant, an antipsychotic and proton-pump inhibitors.
It got to the point that the man had nonstop hiccups for two weeks straight, leading him to be hospitalised.
Blood tests revealed he had an unusually high level of eosinophils, white blood cells that help fend off parasitic infections, which also often play a role in causing allergy and asthma symptoms.
Further tests revealed he also had a condition called eosinophilic oesophagitis, a damaging build-up of eosinophils in the oesophagus.
Sufferers often have a delayed reaction to their allergic triggers.
More common symptoms include heartburn, getting food stuck in the oesophagus and having trouble swallowing - none of which the man had.
The doctors found only two other recorded cases of chronic hiccups caused by eosinophilic oesophagitis.
After being given a topical steroid, the man's hiccups ended after a week and his eosinophil count returned to healthy levels.
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