Hiccups as an atypical manifestation of coronary artery disease – a case report

Hiccups is most often a mild, self-limiting symptom associated with rapid overfilling of the stomach. We present a case of a 68-year-old patient with multiple internal conditions in whom hiccups persisting for more than two years ceased after coronary angioplasty. The patient was hospitalised in the Department of Cardiology for coronary angiography before qualifying for aortic valve replacement. Dyspnoea for 2 years (NYHA II) and persistent hiccups were the main manifestations. Gastrological and neurological diagnosis (including computed tomography of the chest, gastric emptying scintigraphy, gastroscopy, head computed tomography, electromyography, tests for neuroborreliosis) was performed and pharmacological therapy was initiated without effect. The symptoms resolved after angioplasty of the left anterior descending branch. Based on the anatomical and pathophysiological picture of the nervous system and cardiac vascularisation in patients with chronic hiccups, ischaemic heart disease should be considered in the differential diagnosis.