ABSTRACT
Persistent hiccups impair the quality of life of patients, and are sometimes difficult to treat. In our hospital, we usually use a shiteito decoction to treat hiccups, however, there are no published data about the effect of shiteito on hiccups. We retrospectively investigated patients with hiccups treated with a shiteito decoction as a first-line drug from February 1, 2014 to February 28, 2016. Twenty-seven patients were included (three women), and their ages ranged from 24 to 89 years (mean age : 65.4 ± 15.1 years). The shiteito decoction was completely or partially effective in 66.7% of all patients, and 59.3% of all patients completely recovered. In most cases, the hiccups disappeared within two days, and 88.9% of the patients with complete or partial recovery found the decoction to be effective within four days. Shiteito was an effective hiccup treatment, and since it could be easily administered at bedside, it would be useful regardless of patient pattern.