Mouthfeel: causes, concomitant diseases, treatment

Bitter, sour, sweet, salty - all of these four components consist of the exquisite taste of the rarest exclusive dish of the chef of an elite restaurant and the most disgusting brew of the Klavka woman from some canteens.

However, sometimes one of these sensations appears without a connection with food.The taste in the mouth can be the brightest, and sometimes the only initial symptom of a disease.

Table of contents: Sour taste in mouth Hyperacid gastritis Ulcer disease Diaphragmatic hernia Sour taste in mouth during pregnancy Bitterness in mouth Medical causes of bitter taste Chronic cholecystitis Gallstone disease Dyskinesia of bile ducts Salty taste in mouth Sweet taste in mouth Metallic taste in mouth

Sour taste in mouth

This unpleasant sensation does not necessarily indicate any pathology.Everyone knows the feeling of nausea that occurs after taking acidic food.This usual aftertaste is a normal phenomenon due to the fact that food particles remain in the tongue for a while.Rinsing the mouth with clean water completely relieves this sensation.

Another non-medical reason for sensation of acid may be the oxidation of metal dentures or crowns.If these devices are made of low-quality material, they can be damaged in the course of time by products of the metabolism of bacteria inhabiting the oral cavity, food and substances contained in the saliva.Oxides formed during oxidation give unpleasant taste sensations.

Sometimes, however, a sour taste appears in a number of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Most often it is caused by the pathology of the esophagus and stomach:

• hyperacid gastritis;
• peptic ulcer;
• gastroesophageal reflux disease;
• diaphragmatic hernia;
• Diseases of the teeth and gums.

Hyperacid gastritis

In this disease the gastric mucosa undergoes inflammation.The reason for this in more than 90% of cases is a special bacterium - Helicobacter pilori.It is her own doubtful "merit" in the damage to the mucous membrane, which in response to this begins to produce more hydrochloric acid.The acidity of the gastric juice rises, which leads to the appearance of an acid taste.

Other symptoms of hyperacid gastritis include:

• pains in the upper abdomen, mainly on a full stomach;
• belching with a sour smell and taste, heartburn;
• nausea and sometimes vomiting;
• heaviness in the abdomen, stool disorders.

Peptic ulcer

In fact, peptic ulcer disease could be considered a complication of gastritis.Indeed, before the full damage to the mucosa occurs, it is exposed to inflammation for some time.Symptoms of peptic ulcer practically repeat the clinical picture of gastritis, although they are much more vivid.The appearance of an acid taste in the mouth in this pathology is explained by the same reasons.

This mechanism explains heartburn( mucous membrane is irritated by acid) and it can also explain the appearance of sour taste in the mouth.It's very simple - the contents of the stomach does not stay only in the esophagus, and can be thrown into the mouth.

Similarly, the appearance of an acidic aftertaste with gastritis and peptic ulcers described above is explained, since diseases of the digestive system are very rarely isolated.Diseases of the stomach inevitably lead to the appearance of reflux, and hence an unpleasant aftertaste in the mouth.

Diaphragmatic hernia

In any human abdominal cavity from the thoracic cavity is separated by a muscular-tendon septum - diaphragm.There are several holes in it, through one of which the esophagus passes into the abdominal cavity in order to "merge" into the stomach.If this opening expands, part of the stomach( and sometimes it all!) Penetrates into the chest cavity.Because of this, again, there is reflux, throwing acidic contents into the esophagus, then into the oral cavity.

Sour taste in the mouth during pregnancy

Pregnancy is not a disease - a well-known fact.However, even with her, a number of changes occur, one of which is the appearance of an acid taste in the mouth.This is due to the growth of the uterus, which in the second half of pregnancy begins to press upward the internal organs.The squeezed stomach can not fully hold food and part of it can be squeezed into the esophagus, and from there to the mouth.It is relatively easy to get rid of this symptom: it is enough only to reduce the portion volume and increase the frequency of meals.

As can be seen, despite the variety of diseases leading to the appearance of a sour taste in the mouth, all the causes of this symptom are reduced to the ingestion of acid from the stomach into the mouth.Careful treatment of these diseases completely relieves a person of unpleasant sensations.

Bitterness in the mouth

Most common bitterness in the mouth appears in the morning.Sometimes it becomes permanent and persecutes the patient throughout the day. Of the non-medical reasons for this condition, the most frequent are:

• smoking before bed - the smoke particles remaining in the language are poorly washed away by saliva, and their taste is felt in the morning;
• consumption before eating a large amount of fried and fatty foods - for its digestion requires increased production of bile;
• evening "relaxation" with the help of hot drinks, which also stimulate the release of bile;
• use of certain medicines.

In all these cases, with the exception of smoking, the flavor disappears quickly enough and does not appear until the next disturbance of a healthy regimen.However, if bitterness does not go on for a long time or increases, it may indicate a disease.

Medical causes of bitter aftertaste

The cause of the bitter taste, as in the case of acid, is the casting of the contents of the stomach into the oral cavity.However, in this case the taste itself is caused not by acid, but by an admixture of bile. Diseases that cause this symptom:

• chronic cholecystitis;
• cholelithiasis;
• dyskinesia of the biliary tract.

Chronic cholecystitis

With this disease, a sensation of bitterness in the mouth is one of the main symptoms.However, most often a person realizes that he is ill, only when the inflammation passes into the acute phase.

Along with a bitter taste and dry mouth, cholecystitis has the following symptoms:

1. pain in the right upper quadrant, sometimes quite severe;
2. nausea and vomiting, after which the state of health does not improve;In vomit masses often detect an admixture of bile;
3. dyspepsia, especially bright after taking fatty, spicy and fried foods:
   • flatulence;
   • constipation;
   • diarrhea;
4. sometimes increases body temperature to not very high digits.

Gallstone disease

From the name of this pathology it is clear that with this disease in the gallbladder stones are formed.

Symptomatic it strongly resembles the clinical picture of cholecystitis, except when the stone clogs the exit from the gallbladder.

Biliary colic develops with characteristic and very vivid signs:

• is the most severe, literally unbearable pain in the right upper quadrant, due to which sometimes people lose consciousness;
• nausea and repeated vomiting of bile, which only gets worse;
• fever;
• sometimes icterus sclera( protein coat of the eye).

In bile colic, bitterness in the mouth is rare, although it is possible that the patient simply does not notice it, absorbed in incredibly severe pain.

Dyskinesia of the biliary tract

In this pathology there is a disturbance in the nervous regulation of the activity of the smooth muscles of the bile ducts.In parallel with this, there is a global failure of the regulating mechanisms of opening the sphincter of the transition of the stomach into the duodenum.

Bile is secreted too early: before the food reaches the intestine.At the time of opening the sphincter, it enters the stomach and further the same process occurs as in the case of gastritis - casting into the esophagus and up to the oral cavity.

Salty taste in the mouth

Sensation of salinity in the mouth can occur immediately in several situations:

1. Dehydration.At the same time, all body fluids are thickened.One of them is saliva, containing sodium chloride( common table salt).With a high degree of dehydration, the secret of the salivary glands becomes denser, its saturation with sodium chloride increases and the taste buds of the tongue begin to feel it as a salty taste.
2. Injury of the oral cavity.In trauma accompanied by bleeding, a person feels a salty taste of blood.
3. Upper respiratory tract infections.Slime produced in the nose and nasopharynx, falls into the mouth.Because of the high content of the same sodium chloride in it, the patient feels the taste of salt.

Sweet taste in the mouth

Many sources in the network indicate the emergence of another version of the taste - sweet.It is believed that its appearance is associated with diabetes mellitus, in which the concentration of glucose in the blood rises to high figures.Allegedly it causes the appearance of a sweet taste.

Practice, however, shows that this information is nothing more than fiction.Glucose in no way can stand out in the oral cavity, and even in the concentration that allows the taste buds of the tongue to react to it.Therefore, a sweet taste in the mouth can be considered an insignificant myth.

The earliest symptom of diabetes mellitus of both types is a strong thirst.A person can drink up to 4-5, and sometimes 10 liters of water.Due to this symptom, a primary diagnosis of diabetes is often made.It is to him, and not to the mythical sweet taste, and one should pay attention.

Metallic taste in the mouth

The taste of iron in the mouth can occur during pregnancy.The reason is simple - a lack of vitamin C, the need for which in pregnant women increases dramatically.Because of hypovitaminosis, the gums become more friable, begin to bleed and the woman begins to feel the taste of blood.

Usually appears in the first half of pregnancy against a background of severe toxicosis.Frequent vomiting leads to the fact that the woman almost does not eat anything.Accordingly, there is a shortage of vitamin C. After the disappearance of toxicosis, the metallic taste also disappears.

Another reason for its appearance may be metal dental crowns.In the course of chemical reactions, separate metal ions are separated from them, which are captured by the taste receptors of the tongue.

Parodontosis is a scourge of many people who forget about oral hygiene.This disease, in which the gums are affected, is characterized by their bleeding in response to a minimal mechanical effect.Metallic taste in the case of periodontitis is also due to the presence of blood flowing from the bursting capillaries of pathologically altered gums.

There are a lot of articles on the Internet that clearly state that such a taste can serve as one of the earliest signs of anemia.In fact, this information is very weak.The truth is that metallic smack can occur only in very neglected cases of iron deficiency anemia.Must pass more than one month before there are violations from the gums, there will be periodontal disease, in which the gums begin to bleed, which will cause this taste.Much earlier, a person will consult a doctor about permanent weakness, lethargy, pallor, disability, etc. Therefore, the metallic aftertaste with anemia is an exceptionally rare phenomenon, which in our time has practically disappeared.

It should be remembered that if the mouthfeel does not disappear within a few hours, then this may mean the occurrence of a disease.Independently to recognize the reason of its occurrence at times difficultly enough, therefore it is better, if you will tell about the suspicions to the doctor.In the end, it is better to laugh in the end over your fears than to miss some unpleasant disease, which will have to be treated for a long time and sometimes unsuccessfully.

More details on possible causes of unpleasant aftertaste in the mouth - in the video review:

Volkov Gennady Gennadievich, medical reviewer, ambulance doctor.