Taste of fish in the mouth: what does it mean, features and causes of coughing, diagnosis and elimination of symptoms

Doctors are often contacted with a complaint of a salty or fishy taste in the mouth.
In some cases, this circumstance is not associated with the disease, but nevertheless worsens a person’s quality of life, since appetite decreases and it becomes impossible to enjoy food.

But most often this condition is provoked by various diseases .

Therefore, in any case, if you have a fishy taste in your mouth for no apparent reason, you should see a doctor.

Why does it occur: causes of the symptom?

Stay up to date! If a person did not eat seafood or consume fish oil the day before, then the taste of raw fish in the mouth can be caused by a number of factors, such as:

Kidney failure.
Inflammatory process in the salivary glands. Under the influence of bacteria or viruses, inflammation leads to a change in the chemical composition of saliva.
Insufficient intake of fluid into the body , while dry mouth is added to the fishy taste. As a result of dehydration, a person loses beneficial vitamins and minerals. Often this problem occurs due to improper use of medications - diuretics.
During cancer treatment, radiation and chemotherapy can affect taste buds. Therefore, the taste of fish or other substances in the mouth is not excluded. In particular, such side effects are caused by the drugs Methotrexate and Vincristine.
Tears entering the nasopharynx.
Sinusitis, rhinitis or allergies - mucus can accumulate in the sinuses and oropharynx, which, flowing down the walls of the throat, gives a similar taste.
Lack of oral hygiene. As a result, soft and hard deposits develop, and they are a favorable environment for the development of infection. Pathogenic bacteria begin to affect the oral mucosa, teeth, and salivary glands, which can also affect taste. If inflammatory processes in the oral cavity are started, they can become chronic. As a result, a person constantly feels a fishy taste in his mouth. Such pathologies include dental caries, gingivitis, periodontitis, tartar, gum fistula, and chronic tonsillitis.
Taking medications that can affect the chemical composition of saliva. In particular, medications for the treatment of diseases of the stomach and thyroid gland have this effect. Sometimes topical iodine-based antiseptics can also lead to a fishy taste in the mouth, such as Lugol's drug. To get rid of the unpleasant taste, just stop using this product.
Smoking.
Diseases associated with disruption of the nervous system .

Note! Quite rarely, a fishy taste develops due to an extremely rare disease - trimethylaminuria.

This is a congenital disease that develops against the background of liver pathology. But this phenomenon is extremely rare, and often a fishy taste in the mouth appears due to the above reasons.

Causes of taste in mouth

Salty, oily, bitter – there are a lot of tastes in the mouth. This is unpleasant and incomprehensible to many. But doctors note that a bland taste in the mouth is not always a symptom of the disease. Sometimes, it's just a failure/disruption of some body systems.

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There are 5 main reasons for a persistent taste in the mouth:

Poor oral hygiene. The most common and elementary diagnosis that doctors have to make. Many people simply do not know how to brush their teeth correctly. Therefore, food remains remain on the tongue, cheeks, gums and begin to decompose.
Taking medications. Some types of drugs affect taste buds. They are the ones who can change the taste in your mouth. After a course of administration, the taste disappears.
Diseases. Diseases are: infectious, chronic, viral. In any case, the stable and correct functionality of the organs is disrupted. The body spews out toxins, and they cause a taste in the mouth.
Bad habits. Smoking, frequent drinking of alcohol, overeating can cause: a taste of onion in the mouth, a taste of lime in the mouth. Due to overeating, the intestines do not have time to cope with food processing. Toxins from cigarettes settle in the mouth. Alcohol kills the good microflora inside, thereby weakening the immune system.
Hormones. Any hormonal changes affect the taste in the mouth. But the reason why hormonal levels change should be found out from specialized endocrinologists.

Other symptoms

The presence of other symptoms along with the taste of fish in the mouth is due to the underlying disease.

You should know! When dehydrated, a person develops dry mouth and pale skin, general health worsens, and lethargy appears.

The accumulation of mucus in the nasopharynx develops due to infection, so all signs of inflammation develop - rhinitis, cough, general malaise.

Poor oral hygiene can lead not only to a fishy taste in the mouth, but also to other dental ailments - caries, gum inflammation , etc.

Infectious and inflammatory processes in the oral cavity cause , in addition to a fishy taste, a number of associated symptoms in the mouth:

development of bleeding gums;
tooth pain;
plaque on the teeth and on the surface of the tongue;
if there is a fistula in the gum, then pus is released from there;
sore throat and coughing;
expectoration of foul-smelling sputum, which often forms with chronic tonsillitis.

What diseases can result from the taste of liver in the mouth?

We stated earlier that the taste in the mouth in 97% of cases is affected by diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. But the main problem for many is figuring out what the taste is from. There are two options here:

Pathological sensations from illness.
Physical influence (false teeth, overeating, smoking, alcohol).

Gastrointestinal diseases that will cause an unpleasant taste in the mouth:

Liver diseases. You will taste blood in your mouth.
Acute renal failure. Dry mouth will occur.
Pancreatitis. Accompanied by a chalk taste in the mouth.
Peretonitis. There will also be a feeling of dryness and oiliness.
Stomach and duodenal ulcers. This will give you a fishy taste in your mouth.
Gastritis. There will be no special tastes, but against the background of the disease the taste of onions will be felt.
High cholesterol will not only manifest itself in the form of diabetes, but will also cause a sweet, metallic taste and even odor from the breath.

Moreover, an incorrect diet and unbalanced fluid intake will affect your general condition. Due to lack of water in the body, the oral cavity will always be dry and have a stagnant odor. Dry hair and chapped lips.

Physical impact:

Implanted teeth. Low-quality and cheap material from which dentures are made will lead to a strong odor from a person’s mouth.
Poor nutrition with constant overeating will affect the release of toxins from the gastrointestinal tract. Which also causes an oily taste in the mouth.
Smoking. Promotes damage to tooth enamel, tooth decay in particular. Toxins found in cigarettes are absorbed into the walls of the mouth, drying it out.
If you drink alcohol frequently, you may experience an earthy taste in your mouth.

Therefore, doctors recommend:

Get rid of negative habits.
Balance your diet.
Eat as many vegetables and fruits as possible.
Meet your daily activity requirement.
Cut down on alcohol consumption.

Diagnosis and which doctor to contact?

It is worth noting! If a person experiences the taste of fish in his mouth and those around him smell it, then this becomes a big psychological problem.

To avoid it and understand the causes of this condition, you should seek help from a doctor.
Initially, you can contact your dentist to rule out problems with the oral cavity.
If everything is fine with this, then plan your next visit to a therapist .

The doctor will conduct a general examination and, if necessary, refer you to specialists.

Diagnostic procedures may include the following research techniques:

Abdominal ultrasound to identify gastrointestinal diseases and sinus ultrasound to rule out problems in this area;
taking scrapings from the mouth ;
donating blood for analysis;
checking sputum for the presence of fungal infection;
X-ray of lung tissue, nasal septum;
in extreme cases, a biopsy is performed;
immunogram;
CT and MRI.

After receiving all the test results, the general practitioner will be able to decide which specialist to refer the patient to.

Depending on in which organ the problem of fishy taste in the oral cavity lies, the attending physician is determined who can eliminate the disease.

Keep in mind! This could be an endocrinologist, dentist, gastroenterologist, neurologist, otolaryngologist and other specialized specialists.

Treatment

You should not try to relieve symptoms on your own.

It is best to consult a doctor so as not to miss important calls, since any disease can be eliminated faster at its initial stage.

If you are sure that the taste of fish in your mouth is due to external influences, then you can take the following measures:

In case of dehydration, normalize the water-salt balance . This is achieved by drinking plenty of water. It is recommended to drink up to 2 liters of liquid per day.
If you experience a taste due to taking medications, you should inform your doctor. Then he will select analogues, but without adverse reactions.
If your oral hygiene is poor you should first visit a dentist so that he can sanitize the source of the unpleasant odor. After this, the doctor will recommend to the patient how to keep his mouth clean.
If a fishy taste in the mouth appears due to a cold, then treatment should be started as early as possible. Local antimicrobial agents such as Hexoral, Faringosept have a positive effect. If you have a severe cough, you need to start taking expectorants, such as Bronchicum, Doctor MOM syrups, etc. You can take medicinal infusions as an auxiliary therapy. If the inflammatory process is complicated or prolonged, you will have to take antibiotics.

For your information! Most often, when the underlying disease is treated and its manifestations are eliminated, the fishy taste in the mouth goes away on its own.

What to do and who to contact?

A therapist will help you deal with this problem.

How he will do it:

Recognizes patient complaints and symptoms. Ask questions about nutrition, sleep patterns, and oral hygiene. Will conduct an inspection.
Prescribe the necessary blood and urine tests. Thus, it will find out which vitamins are missing, and whether there are any diseases that contribute to unpleasant taste sensations.
Based on test results and symptoms, he will prescribe medications. Will tell you detailed steps and solutions for bad taste in mouth.

If the test results show that there are infectious or viral diseases in the body, the doctor is obliged to redirect you to a specialized medical specialist.

Remember! If there is any deviation of your immune system from the norm, you should consult a doctor. Only they can prescribe the correct and necessary treatment to solve problems. And our article will help you find out the possible reasons and not panic until a specialist’s verdict.

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