Western Journal of Emergency Medicine (Dec 2012)
Persistent Hiccups as a Rare Presenting Symptom of Pulmonary Embolism
Abstract
Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a life-threatening condition that may present as dyspnea, chest pain,cough or hemoptysis, but often occurs without symptoms. It is not typically associated with hiccups.Hiccups are generally self-limiting benign contractions of the diaphragm that may be associated with medications or food but may also be symptomatic of serious disease when persistent. We report 3 cases of PE presenting as persistent hiccups.