Hiccups, a Rare Presentation of Infective Endocarditis: A Case Report

Abstract

Hiccup has a wide variety of etiologies irritating the hiccup reflex arc. It is usually benign and self-limited but can be an alarm sign for serious underlying conditions. Hiccup has been rarely reported in patients with infective endocarditis as a result of splenic involvement and phrenic nerve irritation. Herein, we report a 72-year-old man with the chief complaint of long-lasting hiccups (for a 1-month duration) who was diagnosed with infective endocarditis; however, his spleen was grossly intact. The bouts of hiccups repeated 2-3 times a day and lasted for 10-20 minutes. After the initiation of antibiotics, his symptoms waned for a while and appeared again, and then, the hiccups were eliminated. Long-lasting hiccups can be a presentation of serious medical conditions such as infective endocarditis, with or without splenic involvement. Hence, it is important to keep in mind these conditions to perform proper diagnostic and therapeutic workups.

Keywords

• infective endocarditis
• fever of unknown origin
• intractable hiccups