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Interventions for treating persistent and intractable hiccups in adults.
Emilia N Moretto1, Bee Wee, Philip J Wiffen
1Palliative Medicine, Sir Michael Sobell House, Oxford, UK. moretto@yahoo.com.
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|February 27, 2013
Summary
Current treatments for persistent hiccups lack strong evidence. More high-quality, placebo-controlled trials are needed to determine effective pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for intractable hiccups.
Area of Science:
- Medical Research
- Clinical Trials
- Systematic Reviews
Background:
- Persistent and intractable hiccups significantly impair quality of life.
- Existing treatments for hiccups lack robust evidence of efficacy and safety.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for persistent and intractable hiccups in adults.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and controlled clinical trials (CCTs).
- Searched multiple databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, etc.) up to March 2012.
- Included studies on adults with hiccups lasting >48 hours, excluding those with <10 participants or inadequate outcome measures.
Main Results:
- Four studies on acupuncture met inclusion criteria, all with high risk of bias and lacking placebo comparison.
- No studies on pharmacological interventions met the inclusion criteria.
- Meta-analysis was not possible due to methodological differences.
Conclusions:
- Insufficient evidence exists to guide the treatment of persistent or intractable hiccups.
- High-quality, randomized, placebo-controlled trials are necessary.
- Multi-centered and potentially multi-national trials are recommended due to the rarity of the condition.
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