The taste of bitterness in the mouth bothers many people, especially with age, when a person already develops several chronic diseases. In most cases, this symptom accompanies chronic diseases of the liver, gallbladder, and bile ducts. It is worth paying very close attention to this unpleasant sensation if a person begins to constantly be bothered by bitterness in the mouth.
The reason should first of all be sought in pathological changes in the organs of the gastrointestinal tract - from the oral cavity to the intestines, since other causes of the appearance of a bitter taste in the mouth are usually short-term, occurring after taking any medications or fatty, smoked foods. We will talk about what can cause bitterness in the mouth and the reasons for its appearance in this article.
When and how often does bitterness occur in the mouth?
From when bitterness appears in the mouth, we can guess what causes this symptom:
- Bitterness in the mouth in the morning - the reason most likely lies in problems with the liver and gall bladder.
- Bitterness in the mouth during physical activity - if it is also accompanied by heaviness in the right side, it may be a sign of liver disease.
- Bitterness appears after any meal - diseases of the stomach, duodenum, gall bladder, and some liver pathologies.
- Bitterness in the mouth only after eating too heavy, fatty foods, after overeating - diseases of the gallbladder, bile ducts, liver.
- Constant bitterness in the mouth - a possible cause is cancer of the gastrointestinal tract, cholelithiasis, cholecystitis, endocrine or mental illness.
- Short-term bitterness in the mouth - during a stressful situation or the use of medications that affect the liver and gastrointestinal tract.
- Bitterness in the mouth appears the next day after eating pine nuts from China and lasts for several more days —
These are rancid, low-quality, processed nuts that are supplied to Russia from China; their consumption is simply dangerous to health.
Treatment
Diseases of the stomach, liver, intestines, gall bladder and other internal organs are treated primarily with diet.
All fatty, fried foods, smoked foods, hot and spicy seasonings, canned food, sausages, heavy foods, alcohol, coffee and sparkling water are excluded from the diet.
Depending on the diagnosis, a therapeutic diet can be selected.
For gastritis or reflux disease, medications that reduce the acidity of gastric juice or antacids are prescribed .
It could be Rennie, Almagel.
antispasmodics (No-shpa, Spazmalgon), antiemetic medications (Motilium, Domrid), and antipyretics (Paracetamol, Ibuprofen) can be prescribed
How to remove? Smecta, Vikalin, Motoricum, and choleretic drugs help normalize the functioning of the stomach and intestines.
If an exacerbation of gastrointestinal diseases occurs due to stress, sedatives are prescribed (Motherwort, Valerian).
For diseases of the liver and gall bladder, drugs from the group of hepatoprotectors (Carsil, Essentiale Forte, Gepabene) and enzymes are prescribed .
In advanced cases, surgical methods are resorted to.
Auxiliary methods of treatment for identified diagnoses are physiotherapy and therapy using traditional recipes .
It is imperative to give up bad habits, smoking and drinking alcohol to prevent the condition from worsening and the disease progressing.
In case of dental diseases, teeth are removed or treated is performed . The diet is also adjusted.
Diseases whose symptom is bitterness in the mouth
First of all, the cause of bitterness in the mouth should be sought in dysfunction of the gallbladder, since a bitter taste is a classic symptom of the release of bile into the esophagus. To determine why this happens, it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive study of the liver, biliary tract, duodenum, and stomach:
- In diseases of the biliary tract and liver, bitterness in the mouth is a very clear symptom.
The liver performs many important functions in the body, one of which is the production of bile, which reaches the gallbladder through the bile ducts, accumulates there, and when required, enters the duodenum. Due to various disorders of the liver, the presence of stones in the gall bladder, and impaired motility of the biliary tract, bile stagnation occurs. The overfilled gallbladder then abruptly throws out bile, and from a sharp contraction of the stomach and duodenum, bile enters both the esophagus and the oral cavity, which causes bitterness.
- Cholecystitis
when the gallbladder becomes inflamed, an unpleasant bitter taste also appears in the mouth. In addition, with acute cholecystitis, a person is bothered by pain in the right hypochondrium, vomiting bile, dry mouth, increased body temperature, and jaundice of the skin. Sometimes the patient may be bothered by dyspepsia - diarrhea or constipation, a thick yellow coating on the tongue, insomnia, increased irritability, a metallic taste in the mouth.
- Liver diseases
Any malfunction of the liver can affect the production of bile and disruption of its movement in the body. Often, increased load on the liver does not show any symptoms. And the absence of pain in the liver area, the absence of its enlargement, a normal, non-icteric skin color does not yet indicate that the liver is not overloaded and is coping with its functions. Because only if it increases, pain receptors give signals and a person begins to feel it.
- Bitterness in the mouth for diseases of the stomach and intestines is only of secondary importance
Most diseases of the gastrointestinal tract can be accompanied by a violation of the outflow of bile, since everything in the body is interconnected. Therefore, with diseases of the stomach - gastritis, ulcers, with diseases of the duodenum - duodenitis, with inflammation of the large or small intestine, with pancreatitis, a bitter taste may also be one of the many symptoms. FGS helps to identify a specific disease and determines in what direction treatment should be carried out.
Diagnostics
If one or more of the above symptoms occur, which may accompany nausea and bitterness in the mouth, it is not recommended to make independent attempts to eliminate them. Only a doctor can determine treatment tactics based on the following diagnostic measures:
- studying the patient’s life history and medical history;
- conducting a thorough survey;
- performing a physical examination with palpation of the entire surface of the abdomen and examination of the skin;
- FGDS is an endoscopic procedure aimed at examining the inner surface of the esophagus and stomach;
- clinical and biochemical analysis of blood and urine;
- microscopic examination of feces;
- Ultrasound of the abdominal organs;
- biopsy - taking a small piece of the affected organ for subsequent microscopy;
- retrograde cholangiopancreatography;
- sounding - to detect the acidity of gastric juice;
- radiography;
- a test to identify foods that negatively affect the body and cause bitterness in the mouth and nausea.
FGDS procedure
After identifying the cause of the appearance of such unpleasant signs and making a final diagnosis, the specialist prescribes an individual treatment regimen for the patient.
Bitterness in the mouth, not associated with diseases of the digestive system
Bitterness can appear in diseases of the oral cavity. With any inflammatory process in the mouth: dystrophic diseases of the gums, inflammation of the periodontal tissues, with poorly selected metal or plastic crowns, dentures, with impaired innervation of the tongue, with stomatitis in adults and children - bitterness in the mouth may occur.
Hormonal disorders and diseases of the endocrine system, as a rule, also cause a feeling of bitterness. With hyperthyroidism, when the thyroid gland secretes an increased amount of secretion, and vice versa, with hypothyroidism, when it is not enough, there is also an increased release of adrenaline and norepinephrine. Which in turn influence spasms of the muscles of the biliary tract. This process leads to dyskinesia of the biliary tract, and as a consequence to the appearance of a bitter taste.
Such a phenomenon as a violation of the sense of taste - dysgeusia - appears in a person for some reason, and many tastes are perceived as unpleasant, and most often bitter.
Poisoning of the body with various heavy metals - copper, lead, mercury; with such intoxication, a bitter taste may occur.
After taking almost any antibiotic, antihistamines - allergy tablets, antifungal drugs in tablets, any medications that affect the liver, a bitter taste, heartburn or pain in the right hypochondrium appears as one of the possible side effects. Even the use of natural medicinal herbs or oils can provoke such a symptom, for example, St. John's wort, boron uterus, sea buckthorn oil, etc.
People who smoke a lot, as well as those who are chronically stressed or depressed, suffer from a variety of unpleasant taste sensations in the mouth.
Why is there a problem?
Temporary nausea and bitterness in the mouth, as a rule, are nothing more than the result of overeating the day before. So, these symptoms and weakness in the morning can be provoked by alcohol, peppery, fatty, fried foods eaten for dinner, marinades, smoked foods and other “aggressive” foods.
Nausea and bitterness in the mouth may have more serious (pathological) causes. The first “suspect” is biliary dyskinesia - muscle spasm leading to disruption of bile outflow. Bile stagnates, from time to time it is thrown into the esophagus along with particles of undigested food, causing discomfort in the oral cavity.
Other causes of bitterness in the mouth and nausea:
- infectious diseases of the upper respiratory tract;
- ulcers of the stomach, duodenum;
- inflammatory processes in the pelvic organs;
- bitterness in the mouth is a classic sign of almost all liver pathologies;
- long-term use of various groups of medications (primarily antibiotics);
- acid reflux (occurs also during pregnancy due to weakening of the gastric sphincter due to increased levels of prolactin in the blood).
If the patient feels sick, has a bitter taste in the mouth and has diarrhea, this set of symptoms may indicate poisoning (general intoxication) of the body with salts of heavy metals - cadmium, copper, lead, mercury. Your health may be aggravated by severe headaches, bloating, dry mouth, dizziness, and increased body temperature.
Hormonal changes in the female body during pregnancy are a common cause of the appearance of a bitter taste on the oral mucosa
Liver diseases that most often provoke nausea and bitterness in the mouth:
- hepatosis (dystrophic changes in hepatocytes - liver cells - under the influence of toxins that lead to dysfunction of this organ);
- hepatitis (liver inflammation of viral origin);
- cirrhosis (irreversible destruction of organ cells due to the replacement of parenchymal tissue with fibrous tissue).
Belching, diarrhea, bitter taste in the mouth, nausea and weakness are indicators of helminthiasis (parasitic activity of round and flatworms in certain internal organs). Nausea, heartburn, bitterness in the mouth in the morning are “sure signs” of pregnancy in women. The appearance of discomfort is associated with a weakening of the gastric sphincter and, as a result, the release of acid into the esophagus, as well as (at a later date) the pressure of the enlarged uterus on the stomach.
The constant presence of a bitter taste in the mouth can be a symptom of a number of dental diseases:
- stomatitis (viral, bacterial damage to the mucous membrane);
- glossitis (inflammation of the tongue);
- gingivitis (inflammatory process affecting the gums);
- The cause of discomfort may also be improperly fitted dentures or an allergic reaction to their metal elements.
Poor nutrition (unbalanced diet, an abundance of fatty and fried foods, alcohol abuse) is a factor that causes the development of diseases of the digestive tract and the appearance of dyspepsia (nausea, bitterness in the mouth, diarrhea, abdominal pain)
A bitter taste in the mouth and nausea can also be due to a violation of cerebral circulation (then the problem has a neurological basis), vascular spasm is certainly accompanied by the appearance of these symptoms, as well as general weakness, dizziness, fainting conditions, etc.
Bitterness in the mouth during pregnancy
During pregnancy, a woman's body undergoes such dramatic changes, both hormonal and physiological, that the appearance of any unusual taste or other strange symptom should be perceived as normal. In the 1st trimester, an increase in progesterone has a relaxing effect on the valve separating the esophagus and stomach, so acid and bile can enter the esophagus, causing a bitter taste, nausea, and vomiting.
In the later stages, heartburn and a bitter taste cause a woman very strong discomfort, this is explained by the growth of the fetus and its pressure on the gallbladder and stomach; this symptom haunts the pregnant woman until childbirth. To reduce the frequency and intensity of this unpleasant manifestation, a woman should adhere to a certain diet - exclude fried and fatty foods, coffee, sour and spicy foods, eat little and often, avoid drinking liquids during meals, and drink only in between meals.
Prevention
To prevent discomfort, it is recommended to avoid fried, overly salty and spicy foods, as well as other foods that are difficult to digest. It is better to saturate your daily menu with plenty of fiber and slow carbohydrates (porridges). Regular moderate physical activity and control of psycho-emotional state are also important preventive measures. So, a bitter taste in the mouth that occurs immediately after eating or without reference to meals is an alarming signal notifying about malfunctions in the body.
As a rule, such discomfort accompanies digestive disorders, occurs due to dental and psycho-emotional problems, and may be a consequence of hormonal imbalance or pathological changes in metabolism. If the occurrence of bitterness is not situational, but a constant phenomenon, this is a reason to visit a doctor in order to conduct a comprehensive examination and select the appropriate treatment.
