The causes of hiccups in newborns can be physiologic and pathologic, the former is more common such as overfeeding, and the latter includes central or peripheral diseases such as epilepsy and gastroesophageal reflux disease.
1. Physiological causes: because the newborn’s diaphragm and digestive function is not yet well developed, daily eating or slight stimulation such as cold, eating too full and so on will easily cause hiccups.
In addition, if the baby eats too fast, inhaling too much air can cause gastric distension and expansion, compressing the diaphragm and triggering diaphragmatic spasm, hiccups.
2. Pathologic causes:
(1) central diseases: epilepsy and other diseases, due to abnormal brain neuron discharge, can lead to transient brain dysfunction, if the phrenic nerve is compressed, hiccups will occur.
It can also be caused by pathogenic bacteria that cause inflammatory changes at the base of the skull, where exudate collects in large quantities at the base of the skull and directly squeezes the blood vessels at the base of the skull as well as the nerves. If the intracranial pressure is elevated, it will indirectly lead to stress injury of the gastric mucosa, producing manifestations such as eructation (hiccups).
(2) Peripheral diseases: If you have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), it can cause damage to the esophageal mucosa and lead to inflammation. It also affects the mediastinum through the esophageal wall, causing symptoms such as hiccups and vomiting.
In addition, in the case of congenital heart disease, different symptoms may occur depending on the direction of shunting. Affected children show symptoms such as weak sucking and hiccups during breastfeeding, and usually have shortness of breath, accompanied by blue lips and excessive sweating.
Hiccups in newborns may also have other causes, it is recommended to go to the hospital in time, improve the examination to clarify the cause of the disease, and then give targeted treatment or treatment under the guidance of the doctor.