Causes
Acute and chronic forms of gastritis and bitterness in the mouth are often interrelated. But in acute cases, the appearance of a bitter taste is a temporary phenomenon, and if the disease is chronic, the symptom will be present almost constantly. The most common causes of bitter taste are:
- Excessive secretion of bile. This happens when you eat fatty foods, as well as when you violate your diet. For example, if a person eats rarely, but in large portions.
- Consequences of gastritis. With the development of an inflammatory process in the stomach, there is a decrease or increase in the level of secretion. The occurrence of bitterness in the mouth is most often associated with a reduced level of production of digestive juices. In this state, food cannot be fully digested, it stagnates, and fermentation processes begin with the release of gases. These gases rise up the esophagus, causing an unpleasant taste and plaque formation. But even with an increased level of acidity, the appearance of a bitter taste is not excluded. It is associated with the reflux of excess bile into the esophagus, which is why a bitter-sour taste is felt in the mouth.
The appearance of a bitter taste in a patient with gastritis often provokes incorrect behavior. The following may be a predisposing factor for the appearance of the described unpleasant symptom:
- Diet violation. A bitter taste in the mouth may appear after eating food that is difficult to digest - fatty meat, smoked meats, confectionery products with butter creams, etc.
- Alcohol. Drinking alcoholic beverages can cause a sharp deterioration in the condition of a patient with gastritis.
Advice! Many people believe that drinks with low alcohol content, such as beer, are less harmful than strong alcohol. In fact, this is not so; beer and wine are bad for a sore stomach and can cause an exacerbation of the condition.
- Smoking. The harmful components of tobacco smoke enter not only the lungs, but also the stomach. Therefore, this bad habit can lead not only to the appearance of a bitter taste in the mouth, but also provoke an exacerbation of the disease.
Advice! Whatever the reason for the appearance of bitterness in the mouth in patients with gastritis, the most effective way to get rid of the unpleasant sensation is to treat the underlying disease.
Nausea and bitterness as a sign of illness
The main diseases that provoke the appearance of unpleasant symptoms:
- Disturbances in the functioning of the gallbladder. Manifestations of bitterness and nausea appear due to bile entering the esophagus during pathological changes.
- Liver diseases.
- Gastritis.
- Ulcer of the stomach and duodenum.
- Functional motility disorders of gastric muscle tissue.
- Gastroduodenitis.
- Enterocolitis and colitis.
In the presence of the listed diseases, the symptoms of bitterness in the mouth and nausea may be accompanied by belching, epigastric pain, and a white or yellowish coating on the tongue.
Unpleasant symptoms can be caused by the following factors:
- Diseases of an inflammatory-infectious nature . In this case, damage to the oral cavity and gums is observed. Symptoms are often accompanied by bad breath.
- The presence of lamblia in the body . Parasites negatively affect the activity of the intestines, irritating its mucous membrane and causing bloating and rumbling in the abdomen, loss of appetite and severe headaches.
- Taking antibiotics and antihistamines . Drugs can lead to disruption of intestinal microflora and inhibition of organ motility, which leads to the development of dysbiosis. Prescribing a combination of these groups of drugs worsens the situation.
- Poisoning with salts of heavy metals . You can be poisoned by copper, mercury or lead salts both in the chemical industry and at home, through contact with certain medications, agricultural chemicals, or simply through careless handling of a thermometer. Metals are quickly absorbed into the blood and spread throughout the body, having a negative effect on all human organs, especially the kidneys and liver. Poisoning with heavy metals is complemented by diarrhea, which is later replaced by constipation, bloating and even impaired motor activity.
Do oil enemas help with constipation? Find out in this article.
Symptoms
A symptom such as a bitter taste in the mouth is noted by most patients in the morning. In addition to bitterness, symptoms such as:
- dry mouth;
- nausea;
- burning tongue.
In addition, the patient experiences a decrease in appetite, a feeling of heaviness after eating even a small amount of food, bloating, frequent “seething” in the intestines, and flatulence.
How to treat bitterness in the mouth?
Many factors provoke unpleasant sensations (a feeling of bitterness, dry mouth). The choice of treatment is based on detailed diagnosis and identification of the underlying disease.
If you do not have the opportunity to visit a doctor in the near future and choose a course of treatment, you can follow some rules that will improve your well-being and minimize discomfort:
- Eliminate fried, fatty, spicy foods, carbonated drinks, citrus fruits, coffee drinks from the diet - what food is on the table of a person suffering from a gastrointestinal disease has a great influence on the treatment process.
- Give up bad habits - smoking and alcoholic beverages.
- Eat several times a day. Eat less, but more often.
- Observe the work and rest schedule.
- Follow your dentist's recommendations for oral hygiene.
- Pay attention to your emotional state.
Traditional recipes for treating bitterness in the mouth
Cases are individual. To treat a symptom, the disease causing the discomfort is eliminated. Before going to the doctor, folk remedies will help you temporarily forget about the disease.
- Chewing clove seeds and cinnamon seeds will help quickly eliminate the obsessive aftertaste - a way to freshen your breath.
- Barberry is a folk remedy for eliminating unpleasant symptoms. To prepare the decoction, crushed barberry roots are poured with water in a ratio of 1 to 10 and put on fire for half an hour. The decoction is filtered and drunk warm when a symptom appears.
- Ashes from birch buds will relieve belching and a bitter taste after eating. Half a teaspoon will be enough.
- For nausea, it is recommended to take flax seed - it will help normalize the functioning of the digestive system, eliminate the bitter taste and discomfort. Doctors recommend preparing a recipe that envelops and protects the stomach. Recipe: Pour 1 tablespoon of crushed flax seeds with a glass of boiling water and let it brew. Before breakfast and dinner, take half a glass of the drink on an empty stomach. The course of treatment is 5-7 days.
- If the cause of an unpleasant feeling in the mouth is stagnation of bile, cleanse the gallbladder. Flaxseed oil will be your assistant. Drink one tablespoon of flax oil before meals - it will gently cleanse the gallbladder.
Diagnostics
To prescribe effective treatment, you need to make an accurate diagnosis, and for this you need to pass a series of tests and undergo an examination. The most informative in this case is an FGDS examination with a biopsy.
The examination is not very comfortable, since it is necessary to insert a tube with special sensors into the esophagus, but it allows you to most accurately assess the condition of the stomach, identify the level of acidity, and determine the presence of infection.
In addition, the examination allows you to detect the presence of neoplasms in the stomach - polyps, tumors and identify their nature. Patients are also prescribed an ultrasound and a number of laboratory tests of blood, urine and feces.
What examinations can I undergo?
When a patient with these symptoms contacts a medical facility, a specialist identifies complaints and, after an initial examination, may prescribe the following studies:
- Analysis of urine . The results will help determine whether there is an inflammatory process in the body or whether it is absent.
- Fibrogastroduodenoendoscopy . This is a procedure for examining the esophagus, stomach and duodenum using a gastroscope - a device that is a probe with a camera at the end, which allows you to study the condition of the intestinal walls, take pictures, video record and even take samples for analysis.
- Stool analysis.
- Biopsy . The procedure involves taking a fragment of the organ's mucosa for further careful study.
- Ultrasound examination of problem organs.
- Retrograde cholangiopancreatography . The study is carried out to study the condition of the bile ducts and pancreas. For the procedure, X-ray and endoscopic equipment is used, which allows you to obtain maximum information and take the necessary pictures.
- Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography . An unsafe, but highly informative method, representing a direct contrast of the pancreatic and biliary systems.
- Liver tests . The result of the analysis is the ability to assess the level of certain enzymes (bilirubin and others). A study is prescribed if hepatitis is suspected.
- Tests to identify products whose consumption negatively affects a person’s condition and which are recommended to be excluded in the future.
- Blood test to detect antibodies.
- Study of PH-metry . The procedure involves studying the acidity of the contents of the duodenum, stomach and esophagus to detect inflammation in the tissues of the digestive tract.
Treatment
Only a doctor can explain how to get rid of bitterness in the mouth due to gastritis. Treatment is prescribed comprehensively, taking into account individual indications. A diet is definitely recommended. It is necessary to avoid dishes and products that create additional stress on the digestive organs.
It is recommended to eat easily digestible food that does not irritate the inflamed walls of the stomach. In addition, medications are prescribed:
- anti-inflammatory;
- regulating acidity;
- destroying the infection that caused gastritis;
- restorative.
Additionally, the following methods may be recommended:
- treatment with mineral waters;
- phytotherapy;
- special gymnastics to stimulate blood supply to the digestive organs.
So, the appearance of bitterness in the mouth is often noted with gastritis. To get rid of this unpleasant symptom, it is recommended to undergo a full examination to make an accurate diagnosis, and then carefully and accurately follow all the doctor’s recommendations for treating the underlying disease. As the symptoms of gastritis subside, the bitter taste will cease to appear.
