Often, patients at the appointment of a therapist casually mention that they constantly dry their mouth. Unpleasant dryness makes you constantly drink water, use therapeutic rinses - but the discomfort does not go away. It is very important not to remain silent about your problem, but to notify the doctor about it, since this delicate nuance can turn out to be a symptom of a rather dangerous pathology. What disease is caused by constant dry mouth? The article lists the most common diseases in which this symptom is observed, as well as tips for a speedy recovery.
Why should I be concerned about this symptom?
In our country, many people are irresponsible about their own he alth and go to the doctor only when it may be pointless to provide assistance. In recent years, mandatory medical examinations have been carried out in polyclinics. However, at the reception, patients are often embarrassed to speak out loud about their ailments, preferring to go home as soon as possible. Meanwhile, if constantlydries the mouth and wants to drink more than before, then such discomfort should be reported to the doctor.
It is very important what accompanying symptoms the patient describes. Does his jaw hurt when he constantly dries his mouth? Is subfebrile temperature observed in the late afternoon? Does the head hurt, and if so, what is the nature of the sensations. Are there skin rashes, how quickly do wounds and cuts heal?
In addition to the oral survey, it is necessary to analyze the results of biochemistry and a number of other studies. Only then can a general clinical picture be drawn up. This is what the therapist does. If he diagnoses a specific disease, he will write a referral to a narrow profile doctor. For example, if diabetes mellitus is diagnosed, the patient will be referred to an endocrinologist. This doctor will prescribe treatment, make a decision about possible disability, etc.
The most common causes of discomfort
Seldom does anyone wonder why the constant dry mouth. In some cases, this symptom indicates simple dehydration, but sometimes it is a formidable harbinger of the development of diseases that can threaten life in the future. Consider below in detail each of the most common reasons, here is a list of them:
- problems with the functioning of the salivary glands;
- inflammatory diseases of the nasopharynx;
- dehydration, which can develop for various reasons;
- diabetes mellitus;
- presence of bad habits;
- a state of chronicstress;
- dental pathologies;
- taking some medications.
Disruption of the functioning of the salivary glands
Diseases and congenital pathologies of the development of the salivary glands are relatively rare. However, one cannot immediately cross out pathologies of this kind from the list: after all, it is precisely this kind of disease that gives the most striking symptoms. This is easily explained: the secretion of saliva is disturbed, and the person constantly dries his mouth.
Salivary glands in medicine are usually included in the list of glands whose functioning relates to the endocrine system. The glands are classified into two groups - large and small. Three pairs are classified as large: parotid, submandibular and sublingual.
There are quite a lot of diseases and pathologies of the development of the salivary glands, we list the symptoms that are characteristic of such conditions:
- Changes in the amount of allocated secret, i.e. saliva directly. In some diseases, the amount of saliva secreted is so reduced that it constantly dries the mouth. Such a symptom indicates that you should urgently consult an endocrinologist.
- Enlargement and thickening of one or more large glands. The patient experiences an intermittent sensation of fullness and internal pressure in the jaw area.
- Pain radiating to the ear, eye, forehead, throat, tongue (depending on the localization of the autology process in one or several salivary glands).
- Patient becomes difficult to chew. As a result, the process of chewing food becomesdefective, problems with the gastrointestinal tract develop.
- Inflammation of the salivary glands is often accompanied by fever. It can be high in an acute process, and subfebrile (37-37, 2) in a chronic sluggish process.
- Mucous or purulent discharge from the salivary ducts, with the patient feeling a sour, putrid taste in the mouth.
- The appearance of inflammation and cracks in the oral mucosa, on the lips.
Dehydration and measures to prevent it
Dehydration occurs for the following reasons:
- development of inflammatory, infectious processes in any of the organs, which are accompanied by fever;
- strict diets, forced or voluntary fasting (if a person wants to lose weight, it is very important to ensure the flow of a normal amount of fluid into the body);
- some autoimmune diseases;
- endocrinological disorders;
- taking certain medications;
- the most harmless, but common reason - a person simply drinks little water.
If you constantly dry your mouth and want to drink, then think about how much liquid you drink per day. Moreover, it is water - tea, coffee, broths, juices that should not be counted. Yes, these are also liquids, but the human body perceives them for the most part as food. Meanwhile, the human body is 70% water. From plain water, which we so often forget to drink. The brain is designed in such a way thatmisinterprets signals, confuses thirst with hunger or fatigue. So if you feel weak, you often want to eat, your performance decreases - just drink a glass or even two of pure water.
How to understand how much water to drink? There is a simple calculation formula - an adult should drink 30 ml per 1 kg of body weight. This amount is enough to cover the water requirement of the cells.
Initial stages of diabetes
The initial stage of type 2 diabetes is a fairly common cause. Constantly dry in the mouth, cuts heal for a long time, weakness and apathy, skin rash, swelling, constant thirst - the combination of these symptoms eloquently indicate that you need to check your blood sugar.
The patient is constantly thirsty, he can drink about three to four liters of water per day, but the thirst does not go away. In parallel with this, general well-being is rapidly deteriorating. Constantly dry mouth and thirsty is one of the most striking symptoms of diabetes.
If the analysis confirms the suspicion of diabetes, the patient will have to change his lifestyle once and for all. Diabetes is an incurable endocrine pathology, but if you follow the diet and take drugs (Metformin, Glucophage, etc.), then you can lead a full life. If you start treatment at an early stage, you can achieve remission and even stop taking drugs for a while.(however, you still have to follow a diet and control blood sugar levels). But if the disease has already progressed, then there may be a need for daily insulin injections. But even in this case, you should not worry: people, receiving the hormone they need, live happily and fully for decades.
Nicotine and alcohol addiction as the cause of permanent dry mouth
Yes, this is also worth paying attention to. Have you noticed that in the morning after a feast with alcohol, it is always constantly drying in your mouth? The diagnosis is obvious: a hangover syndrome. This condition is not at all as easy as we used to think. Regular libations lead to severe dehydration, the functioning of the liver, kidneys, and pancreas is disrupted. The body comes into a completely unbalanced state.
After a hangover syndrome, if a person does not give up drinking alcohol, withdrawal syndrome sets in. Its presence is evidence of the fact of alcohol dependence. If such a patient turns to a narcologist, the doctor will diagnose chronic alcoholism. Dry mouth is only the lesser of evils, a small symptom that indicates the presence of serious problems with metabolism, with the functioning of internal organs. And of course, with the psyche - after all, alcoholism is considered to be a psycho-spiritual disease. In a word, before it gets worse, stop drinking alcohol once and for all.
Heavy smokers alsooften suffer from dry mouth. This is due to the frequent exposure of the mucous membrane and ducts of the salivary glands to cigarette smoke. If you smoke, then the answer to the question "why does your throat and mouth dry out all the time" is obvious: due to regular exposure to tar, nicotine and toxic flavors. The sooner you give up the addiction, the better.
Inflammatory diseases of the nasopharynx and larynx
Pharyngitis, laryngitis, tonsillitis of various etiologies - all these pathologies contribute to the appearance of dry mouth. In parallel with this, hoarseness of the voice appears, an increase in the lymph nodes in the neck is observed, the temperature rises, and working capacity decreases. If you observe a combination of these symptoms, then contact an otolaryngologist.
Taking local anti-inflammatory drugs ("Grammidin", "Kameton" and others) will help get rid of unpleasant symptoms quite quickly. In more complex cases, such as angina, you may need to take antibiotics. They are prescribed by a doctor, depending on what type of medicine the bacteria are sensitive to, the presence of which provoked the onset of the disease.
Taking certain medications that cause side effects
The list of medications with dry mouth as a side effect is long. You may experience persistent dry mouth while taking the following medications:
- antihistamines;
- decongestants;
- a number of medicines used tocontrol of high blood pressure (hypertension);
- antidiarrheals;
- muscle relaxants;
- tranquilizers;
- antidepressants;
- sibutramine-based weight loss drugs;
- certain medicines to treat Parkinson's disease and other neurological disorders.
As a rule, after discontinuation of the drug, permanent dry mouth also disappears. But what if you need to take the medicine for a long course? For example, antidepressants are usually taken for at least six months. In this case, you need to drink as much water as possible, use moisturizing oral sprays. If dry mouth is unbearable, then you should discuss the topic of changing the drug with your doctor.
Permanent stay in a tense psycho-emotional state
The importance of the psycho-emotional state should not be ruled out. By the way, one of the catalysts for the development of diabetes is constant stress.
Stress provokes metabolic disorders. If you have a reason to be irritated regularly, to be afraid of something, you are forced to go into conflict, then over time the stress is fixed and intensified. This can result in painful psychosomatic states. In addition to dry mouth, there may be a strong heartbeat, sweating, jumps in blood pressure, panic attacks.
There is only one way to solve this he alth problem - to minimize or exclude from life those causes that provoked the appearancestress. If the reason is in a relationship, it is better to part with such a person, if there are problems at work, such work should be abandoned. Remember that nerve cells are not restored, and not a single, even the largest salary, will pay for your lost he alth. If it is impossible to avoid being in a stressful situation, you should contact a psychologist or psychotherapist. You may need to take a course of sedatives.
What can be done to quickly end the discomfort?
You can try to diagnose the reason why your mouth is constantly drying on your own. Usually it's just dehydration. By providing enough water to the body, the discomfort goes away. If you drink a lot of pure water, but the problem does not go away, then you should definitely consult a doctor.
To get started, a visit to your local therapist will be enough. He will order a general blood test, which will show the level of glucose in the blood. We will start from this - if sugar is elevated, then a visit to the endocrinologist and a long work to restructure our own nutrition are necessary. Perhaps the presence of diabetes (as evidenced by high blood sugar) is the most serious disease, the presence of which may indicate a constant dry mouth.
What to do in this case? If it turned out that you have a serious diagnosis, do not despair. Modern medicine makes the life of diabetics comfortable, you just need to follow the rules of nutrition, do not forget to take medications and, if necessary, give injections.
