Metallic taste in the mouth when coughing: when should you panic?

• Published by: Laima Jansons

Cough is a symptom of many diseases of the respiratory system. In some cases, it may be accompanied by the appearance of a specific metallic taste in the mouth . This phenomenon is especially characteristic of productive cough , which is characterized by expectoration of sputum or mucus.

Photo 1: An unpleasant taste in the mouth when coughing is always due to an objective reason. Source: flickr (Eugene Evehealth).

Metallic taste when coughing: causes and symptoms

The following conditions can cause a person to have a metallic taste when coughing:

Gum disease

Gum disease or periodontal disease is an infection of the gum tissue in the mouth.

The accumulation of bacteria in the mouth can cause gum disease. Maintaining good oral hygiene is usually sufficient to prevent bacterial buildup. Smoking is another possible cause of gum disease.

Some other symptoms of gum disease include:

• bad breath
• swollen and inflamed gums
• bleeding gums
• difficulty chewing
• increased sensitivity in teeth

In more severe cases, the disease can cause gums to recede and teeth to weaken or fall out.

Cold

A cold is the result of an infection in the nose, throat and lungs. Rhinovirus infections cause colds and can easily spread to others.

Most people with a cold experience mild symptoms, such as a sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, and cough. Some people also experience fever.

A cold can affect your sense of smell, which then affects your taste, potentially causing a metallic taste in your mouth.

Sinus infection

Sinus infections can cause loss of smell, which can cause a lack of smell and a metallic taste in the mouth.

The maxillary sinuses are the empty spaces behind the cheeks and forehead that connect to the nose. A sinus infection, or sinusitis, can cause inflammation in the sinuses. This inflammation causes a number of symptoms:

• green, liquid substance coming from the nose
• stuffy nose
• cough
• fatigue
• fever
• a sore throat
• bad breath
• tooth pain
• headache

The symptoms of a sinus infection are different from a runny nose, which only affects the nasal passages.

Some types of medicines

Some medications may cause a metallic taste in the mouth. For example, some antibiotics and lithium have this side effect.

If the side effects of your medications affect your daily life or make it difficult to eat or drink, you may want to contact your doctor. It is important not to stop taking these medications without first consulting your doctor.

Stomach upset

Indigestion refers to a group of symptoms that affect the gastrointestinal system, including the respiratory tract, stomach and intestines. Stomach upset can be caused by:

• abdominal pain
• unpleasant feeling of fullness after eating

An upset stomach is not a disease. But it can be a consequence of certain diseases, such as gastritis, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or irritable bowel syndrome.

In other cases, food, drinks, or stress can cause stomach upset.

Cancer treatment

Cancer treatment can affect the way your senses work and change the normal flow of saliva. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy can also cause a metallic taste in the mouth.

About 80% of people undergoing cancer treatment experience changes in the taste of food. In particular, cancer treatment may cause certain foods—such as salty, bitter, or sweet foods—to taste bad.

Meat in particular may taste metallic, while other foods may taste milder than usual.

Pregnancy

Pregnancy hormones can cause dysgeusia. Some pregnant women experience a metallic taste in the mouth due to dysgeusia, a distortion of a person's sense of taste.

People with dysgeusia experience changes in their taste. The taste tends to be salty, rancid, or metallic. Sometimes foods may have no taste at all.

Dysgeusia is most common in the first trimester, and taste usually returns to normal in the second trimester.

Causes

In most cases, after coughing, a taste of iron in the mouth may be felt due to pathologies. Which ones:

• Bronchial asthma. This pathology is chronic and belongs to the category of diseases of the respiratory system. It is characterized by a condition in which the lumen of the bronchi narrows. Additionally, there is a violation of the ratios of the overwhelming number of cellular elements, affecting the structure of the organ.
• Bronchiectasis, emphysema. Patients suffering from chronic diseases over a long period of time may experience unpleasant symptoms associated with a metallic taste in the mouth. If this symptom occurs after a cough, you should pay attention to this and be wary, as this is an alarming sign. These diseases are extremely dangerous and require immediate medical attention and appropriate treatment. Otherwise, they can be fatal. The reason is the difference in ventilation and diffuse lung function.
• Oncological diseases. When malignant tumors form, damage to the tissue structures of organs develops. These signs are also characteristic of benign formations. As a result, damage to the vascular tissues in the organ occurs. The result will be an unpleasant iron taste in the mouth, which makes itself felt after coughing.
• Sinusitis. The process of sputum discharge or a severe runny nose can cause a lot of discomfort. One of these is the taste of blood in the mouth with a metallic taste. These signs can appear against the background of sinusitis, sinusitis, ethmoiditis.
• Laryngitis and pharyngitis. Bloody and metallic taste can be a consequence of the development of inflammatory processes in the larynx or pharynx.
• Tuberculosis. The disease affects the lungs, causing a severe cough. The last stages of the disease can cause coughing with a taste of blood and metal, since the discharge contains blood impurities.

All of these diseases are classified as pulmonary pathologies. They can cause these unpleasant symptoms and a number of other symptoms.

• Iron taste in the mouth - what does it mean, symptoms of what diseases

But not in all cases, the metallic taste that manifests itself after a cough can appear due to diseases of the respiratory system.

There are a number of other reasons:

• Use of antibiotics, antidepressants, antihypertensive drugs and drugs for diabetes.
• During diagnostics using tomography or x-rays, a special contrast agent is used. Incomplete removal from the body can cause characteristic unpleasant symptoms.
• Particles of metal dust can penetrate into the respiratory tract and mouth area, which can cause this symptom.
• Intoxication of the body due to the influence of heavy metals.
• Diseases associated with the pancreas, various manifestations of food allergies.
• Vitamin deficiency with a deficiency of B vitamins, anemia, lack or imbalance of elements in the blood.

To identify the exact causes of these disorders, immediately seek help from a doctor.

An experienced specialist will study the patient’s clinical picture in detail, refer him for detailed diagnostic studies using instrumental diagnostics, and clinical laboratory tests.

Metallic taste when coughing: treatment

Treatment for metallic taste in cough will depend on the cause. Some of its causes are easy to remove, while others can persist for a long time.

Gum disease can usually be treated with proper oral hygiene measures. These include brushing your teeth every day, flossing, and using mouthwash if necessary. Quitting smoking may also help.

Antibiotics are the first line of treatment for many bacterial infections. For example, to treat a sinus infection, your doctor will prescribe an antibiotic. Your doctor may also suggest other medications to relieve symptoms, such as a decongestant or antihistamine.

Over-the-counter medications are very effective in treating most cases of indigestion. For example, antacids help neutralize excess stomach acid that causes heartburn.

More severe cases may require prescription medications. For example, proton pump inhibitors are especially effective in people who also have heartburn.

If a metallic taste is a result of cancer treatment, it is important not to self-medicate. Avoid taking any vitamins, supplements, or other products without first consulting your doctor. This may interfere with treatment.

Also, to eliminate the metallic taste, people can try using plastic or glass utensils instead of metal ones. Citrus fruits, sugar and salt can also help cover up the metallic taste in your mouth.

You may want to consult your doctor before adding extra sugar or salt to your food.

Do not stop taking medications that cause a metallic taste without talking to your doctor first.

Treatment methods

It is quite difficult to talk about treatment, since the iron taste in the mouth is only a symptom that is often accompanied by some diseases of both the respiratory, digestive and circulatory systems.

It is necessary to treat not the symptom itself, but the disease that was the cause. The treatment method for each of the above cases is different.

For example, with anemia, the main task is to eliminate the cause of its development and replenish the supply of hemoglobin, iron, and red blood cells in a person’s blood.

In case of poisoning with metal salts, urgently begin detoxification therapy.

When to see a doctor

A metallic taste when coughing may be a symptom of a condition that requires medical attention. For example, accompanying feverish symptoms may indicate an infection that should be treated only with prescription medications.

Most people do not need medical care for minor conditions such as the common cold. However, older adults should see a doctor if their symptoms keep getting worse or persist for more than a few days.

If a medicine or cancer treatment is causing a problem, call your doctor first before making any changes. Your doctor may prescribe a different medicine or recommend other possible changes.

Alarming symptoms

If you have a metallic taste in your mouth after coughing, you should not panic ahead of time. Only in the aggregate of a number of symptoms can one really become concerned and go to the doctor for further investigation.

You can go to the doctor at any time convenient for you in the following cases:

• You do not experience significant discomfort due to the taste and smell of iron appearing in your mouth. This symptom does not bother you.
• In the event that the oral cavity is visited by the smell of iron only from time to time, also without causing you significant inconvenience.
• If, apart from the unpleasant taste and smell, you do not feel any other symptoms.

Additional manifestations of the disease, such as headaches, weakness, apathy, loss of strength, drowsiness, inadequate skin color, digestive problems, and signs of intoxication, may be a reason for suspicion.

Maybe,

Diagnostics

If you complain of foul-smelling sputum, an examination by a pulmonologist is indicated. During a physical examination, a specialist assesses the nature and frequency of breathing, performs percussion and auscultation of the lungs to make a preliminary diagnosis. If destructive processes in the lungs are suspected, consultation with a surgeon is required. The diagnosis plan for diseases manifested by sputum with an unpleasant odor includes the following methods:

• X-ray imaging.
  X-ray examination of the OGK is recommended in 2 projections, which shows rounded shadows with a horizontal level of liquid, areas of infiltration or decay, and the contours of space-occupying formations. To clarify the diagnosis, MSCT is prescribed, which allows detailed visualization of pathological changes.
• Bronchoscopy.
  When examining the bronchi with an endoscope, signs of diffuse purulent endobronchitis are mainly detected. If the foul-smelling sputum is caused by an oncological process, during bronchoscopy the doctor sees a disintegrating tumor that is blocking the bronchus. During the study, biopsies are taken from suspicious areas.
• Sputum analysis.
  When the biomaterial settles, a division into 3 layers is found (purulent, mucous and foamy). Upon visual examination, you can see particles of pulmonary parenchyma, foreign bodies, and pathogenic fungi. A culture of foul-smelling sputum is performed to isolate the infectious pathogen and perform an antibiotic sensitivity test.
• Additional laboratory tests
  . Changes specific to inflammation are detected in the hemogram: increased ESR, neutrophilic leukocytosis. A biochemical blood test reveals dysproteinemia and an increase in acute phase parameters. To assess respiratory failure, blood gases are analyzed.

If symptoms of pleurisy are detected, a therapeutic and diagnostic puncture of the pleural cavity and collection of exudate for bacteriological examination are necessary. For patients with chronic bronchopulmonary diseases, ECG and echocardiography are performed to study the functioning of the heart, since such pathologies are often combined with hemodynamic disorders. In difficult cases, they resort to angiopulmonography and diagnostic thoracoscopy.

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