Causes of dry mouth and constant thirst

Author Vladan Djuric

12/10/2019 17:54 (Updated: 05/11/2021 22:37)

Health » Health and prevention

Dry mouth is a common phenomenon and occurs quite often. If dryness persists, further health problems may arise as it is one of the symptoms of diseases. Doctors named the reasons for dry mouth and the feeling of constant thirst.

Dry mouth

Symptoms of dry mouth

Dry mouth (xerostomia) is a subjectively unpleasant sensation

• drying out of the mucous membrane,
• difficulty eating,
• speech disorders caused by insufficient saliva production.

Symptoms occur with lesions of the salivary glands, endocrine and metabolic disorders, and pathologies of the respiratory, digestive and urinary systems.

Doctors explain that dryness occurs when there is a lack of saliva in the mouth. Saliva is produced by the salivary glands. The causes of dysfunction of the salivary glands can be completely different.

What measures need to be taken

If dryness appears on the tongue and mouth, you need to consult a general practitioner , then tell in detail about the additional symptoms that are bothering you, the therapist will give you a referral to a gastroenterologist, endocrinologist or other doctor. Dentist help may be needed.

1. To alleviate the condition, you need to drink clean water instead of coffee, tea and other usual drinks.
2. You also need to drink during meals, avoid salty, spicy, and sweet foods.

Photo 2: In case of unpleasant sensations of dryness during a conversation, in places where it is not possible to drink water in a timely manner, stock up on candies and sugar-free chewing gum in advance. Source: flickr (Sebastien Michel).

Why does the body need saliva?

Saliva plays an important role in the body. First of all, it ensures the breakdown of food and also protects the body from bacteria and malignant effects. If you are constantly dry, you may experience a sore throat or unpleasant taste.

Dry mouth causes:

• feeling of thirst,
• the appearance of cracks on the lips
• irritation of the tongue with a possible change in its color.

Hoarseness may also occur.

If dry mouth continues constantly, this indicates a disruption of the digestive system, as well as pathological diseases of the ENT organs.

Exhaustion of a bedridden patient

Abramova Irina Ivanovna Therapist,

More about the doctor

Wasting
as weight loss of more than 20% of initial body weight. The medical term for this condition is cachexia . All bedridden patients are susceptible to it to one degree or another. However, rapid weight loss without changing the diet indicates the rapid development of the pathological process, and poses a significant threat to the patient’s life. In some cases, exhaustion indicates the patient's approaching death. In such cases, any treatment is ineffective. The therapy is rather supportive in nature and affects the psychological state of both the patient and the caring staff.

Causes of exhaustion of a bedridden patient

Weight loss is caused by a number of combined factors that enhance each other's effects. Among them:

• chronic diseases that cause problems with digestion and absorption of nutrients;
• malignant tumors, especially in the terminal stage of development;
• endocrine disorders;
• bacterial infections and intoxication developing against them;
• psychological anorexia.

The state of the body is also affected by the balance of the diet, the fraction of feeding, and the portion size.

Pathogenesis of exhaustion of a bedridden patient depending on the etiology

Among chronic diseases that cause sudden weight loss, the leading ones are gastrointestinal pathologies and infectious intoxications. Disturbances in the gastrointestinal tract may be associated with dyspeptic disorders, ulcerative lesions of the gastric or intestinal mucosa, pancreatitis, hepatitis or cirrhosis. In almost all of these diseases, vomiting, stool upset, dysbacteriosis and impaired absorption of water and nutrients are observed. Exhaustion is accompanied by dehydration . Heaviness in the stomach after eating and nausea force the patient to reduce the amount of food eaten, which only aggravates weight loss.

Bacterial intoxication is manifested by a total weakening of the body, loss of appetite, and refusal to eat. At the same time, absorption is very low. The products of cell breakdown and bacterial activity cause nausea and vomiting, which directly affects the patient’s appetite.

Another leading pathology that causes cachexia is malignant neoplasms. They provoke very rapid weight loss in a short period of time. In this case, the patient can eat as usual, or even increase portions. Often such patients have uncontrollable cravings for sweets, which is apparently related to the metabolism of the tumor itself. In the terminal stages, cancer patients are very emaciated, with virtually no fatty tissue. The situation is aggravated by the presence of the main tumor or its metastases in the gastrointestinal tract, which mechanically blocks the lumen and interferes with the normal passage of food through the digestive tract. Difficulty in excreting feces causes severe intoxication and completely blocks the digestive system.

Treatment and prognosis of exhaustion in bedridden patients

For this category of patients, the prognosis directly depends on the cause of cachexia. In most cases, caregivers are advised to simply provide supportive care. If the prognosis of the underlying disease is favorable, the treatment regimen for malnutrition is aimed at improving the absorption of nutrients. For this purpose, enzymes and hepatoprotectors . Normalization of stool is achieved by taking probiotics and preparations with lactulose. Small meals with plenty of easily digestible protein, vegetables and grains rich in fiber are recommended. For anemia and vitamin deficiency, iron supplements and multivitamin complexes are prescribed.

Five causes of dry mouth

There are five basic causes associated with long-term dry mouth. Doctors also noted that the duration of dryness does not depend on the aging process.

• The first reason is lack of water in the body . Due to a lack of water, feelings of thirst, dry skin and mild visual impairment may occur.
• The second reason for dryness is increased temperature outdoors or indoors . This leads to the development of dehydration if you do not drink water in a timely manner.
• The third common reason is fears and stress . Clinical studies show that when there is anxiety, the mouth always becomes dry. This is due to the occurrence of other biological and biochemical processes in the body, as a result of which saliva simply does not have time to be released in the required quantity.
• The fourth reason is that dry mouth occurs after sleep , since the glands do not have time to process the process of salivation.
• The fifth reason is that when you constantly breathe through your mouth (when your nose is stuffy), your mouth also dries out .

Treatment

Help before diagnosis

Constant, painful thirst is an absolute indication for a visit to a specialist, since this symptom develops in various pathological conditions that require differential diagnosis. Medications are not used until the diagnosis is verified. When thirsty with polyuria, the patient is allowed to consume any amount of water to prevent dehydration. If a strong desire to drink is accompanied by edema and ascites, the amount of water consumption should be limited to 2 liters per day.

Conservative therapy

If there is a constant feeling of thirst with dry mouth, etiotropic and pathogenetic therapy is prescribed, aimed at eliminating the cause of the symptoms. In case of glycemic disorders, a diet is selected with a limitation of fast carbohydrates and animal fats, which involves frequent and split meals. To correct the water-electrolyte composition of the blood, crystalloid and colloid solutions are administered intravenously using a dropper. The drug treatment regimen may include the following groups of drugs:

• Antihyperglycemic drugs
  . To correct hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes, biguanides (metformin), sulfonylurea derivatives and their combinations are used. If effectiveness is insufficient, DPP-4 inhibitors and GLP-1 agonists are recommended.
• Hormonal agents
  . For type 1 diabetes mellitus, an adequate insulin therapy regimen is selected with a combination of short- and long-acting insulins. For acromegaly, a synthetic analogue of somatostatin is used.
• Hepatoprotectors
  . The drugs stimulate the regeneration of liver parenchyma and prevent the effects of damaging agents on hepatocytes. This group includes essential phospholipids, amino acids (ademetionine), and herbal remedies.
• Bronchodilators
  . Medicines are indicated for chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, which are accompanied by fluid loss due to severe shortness of breath. The drugs are combined with inhaled glucocorticosteroids.
• Neuroleptics
  . Mental disorders in which an uncontrollable feeling of constant thirst develops require the use of special psychotropic medications. Preferred drugs that selectively affect the brain and effectively eliminate symptoms.

Surgery

For hormonally active tumors of the adrenal glands, pituitary gland, and parathyroid glands, their removal is required. In the case of pituitary adenoma, transnasal surgery is often used, which is less traumatic. In case of adenoid vegetations of 2-3 degrees, to restore nasal breathing, the formations are removed in the traditional way or using cryodestruction. Chronic hypertrophic rhinitis, combined with nasal breathing disorders and general manifestations, is considered an indication for conchotomy.

Symptoms of pathologically prolonged dry mouth

First of all, dry mouth can be associated with excessive medication intake. Dry mouth can be caused by:

• blood pressure medications,
• antidepressants,
• antibiotics,
• muscle relaxants.

They contain substances that affect blood pressure and the degree of swelling.

Causes of dry mouth

Also, constant dryness indicates symptoms of diabetes. The feeling of dryness may be accompanied by increased urination. Dryness is also associated with infectious diseases, which can often inflame the mouth.

Radiation treatments and autoimmune diseases - such as the thyroid gland - also cause dry mouth.

Damage to the nervous system leads to impaired salivary secretion, which can also be characterized by prolonged dry mouth.

Studies prove that even with pathologies of the digestive tract, with complicated pathologies of the abdominal cavity, dry mouth occurs.

Diagnostics

To find out the cause of constant thirst and dry mouth, you need to consult a therapist or general practitioner. The specialist carries out an initial examination of the patient, and then, if a specific pathology is detected, he can refer him to doctors of a different profile. The diagnostic search involves conducting advanced laboratory tests and standard imaging studies. The most informative for diagnosis are:

• Blood test for glucose
  . Sugar levels are measured at the first visit to the doctor, regardless of food intake; if high levels are obtained, a glucose tolerance test is prescribed and the fasting sugar level is determined. Be sure to do a test for the presence of glucose in the urine, which is typical for diabetes.
• Hormone analysis
  . The study includes assessment of the level of thyroxine and triiodothyronine, corticosteroids, and parathyroid hormone. In case of high glycemia, the amount of insulin in the blood is determined; for differential diagnosis between type 1 and type 2 diabetes, a C-peptide test is performed. Plasma concentrations of calcium, phosphorus and sodium are also examined.
• Ultrasound examination
  . To clarify the cause of persistent polydipsia, an ultrasound scan of the thyroid gland and parathyroid glands, adrenal glands, and liver is required. If a heterogeneous echogenic structure of the liver parenchyma is detected, non-invasive elastography of the liver is recommended to assess the degree of fibrosis.
• X-ray examination
  . When constant thirst is combined with shortness of breath and other respiratory symptoms, a chest x-ray is indicated in frontal and lateral projections. The images reveal signs of emphysema, sclerosis and bronchial deformation. An examination of the ENT organs is required, and a culture of sputum or a throat smear is performed.
• Neurological examination
  . To exclude the cerebral origin of persistent polydipsia, an examination by a neurologist is necessary to check the symmetry of reflexes and assess the functioning of the autonomic nervous system. If there are suspicious signs, an x-ray of the sella turcica is performed. According to indications, a CT scan of the brain is prescribed.

Constant thirst may be a sign of diabetes