Rhinorrhea and Hiccups After Bariatric Surgery: Exploring Associations with Psychological and Behavioral Factors

In our surgical center, we have observed a high occurrence of hiccups and rhinorrhea following bariatric surgery. This retrospective study aimed to assess the frequency of post-prandial hiccups and rhinorrhea following bariatric surgery and explore potential behavioral and clinical associations. The study was performed at Cannizzaro Hospital (Catania, Italy), an institution accredited by SICOB (Italian Society for Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery) as a national referral center. The cohort included bariatric patients who completed a preoperative psychological evaluation and adhered to a one-year post-surgical follow-up between October 2022 and November 2023. Data on eating behaviors, mental status and dietary habits were collected for each patient before surgery, while clinical records, including the recurrence of hiccups and rhinorrhea, were acquired at the following time points: baseline and 1, 3, 6 and 12 months post-surgery. Post-prandial hiccups and/or rhinorrhea were reported by 49.5% of patients at 1 month and persisted in 46.8% after 12 months. No significant associations were found between the symptoms and weight loss, BES score, or psychological traits, except for slight associations with smoking and carbonated beverage intake. In our cohort, the etiology of hiccups and rhinorrhea appears unrelated to behavioral or psychological factors and may instead reflect vagal hyper-responsiveness after gastric fundus resection.