【Health Observation】Don’t ignore bitter taste in the mouth when you wake up in the morning

When it comes to bitter mouth in the morning, many people may have this trouble. Recently, many patients who came to our hospital for treatment have experienced this symptom. Mr. He said: "I have hepatitis B virus in the past. When I have bitter mouth, I suspect that my liver is damaged, so I go to the hospital to check my liver function." Ms. Chen said: "I often feel bitter in my mouth when I wake up in the morning. No matter how much water I drink, it doesn't improve. I don't stay up late, don't drink, and don't have any bad habits. Why do I have a bitter mouth?" Mr. Wang said: "Although I smoke occasionally, there are no problems with blood tests and lung CT scans. Why do I have a bitter mouth?" Why does a bitter mouth occur? Let's find out together.

What is bitter mouth

Common clinical manifestations of bitter taste in the mouth are: transient bitter taste in the mouth (more common in the morning) or persistent bitter taste in the mouth, often accompanied by dry mouth, oral erosion, or sour mouth, bad breath, dry stool, or sighing, dizziness, abdominal distension, or thirst, shortness of breath, fever, or dizziness, red eyes, irritability, or dry and dark face, blurred vision, etc.

From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, bitter mouth refers to a bitter taste in the mouth, especially in the morning, without taking bitter food or medicine. Bitter mouth has been mentioned in medical books of all dynasties. There is a special discussion in "Suwen·Qibinglun": "What is the name of the disease for bitter mouth? The disease is called gallbladder disease... This person is indecisive, so the gallbladder is weak and the qi rises, causing bitter mouth." This passage not only named the disease with bitter mouth as gallbladder disease for the first time, but also pointed out that gallbladder qi deficiency and liver heat are the main causes of bitter mouth, and gallbladder leakage is the main pathogenesis of bitter mouth, laying the foundation for the diagnosis and treatment of bitter mouth.

From the perspective of Western medicine, bitter taste in the mouth refers to the symptom that the patient feels bitter in the mouth without the influence of diet, which can affect life and work in severe cases. Studies have shown that this symptom is very common, with the incidence of bitter taste in the mouth among hospitalized patients being 53.79% and that among healthy people reaching 43.92%. The study believes that bitter taste in the mouth may be a signal of internal organ dysfunction, but it is often ignored in clinical practice.

Does bitter mouth mean you are sick?

According to traditional Chinese medicine, bitterness in the mouth can be caused by eating bitter food, mood changes, and imbalance of qi and blood in the internal organs. The most common cause of bitterness in the mouth is heart fire inflammation or liver and gallbladder heat. People with restlessness and insomnia often have bitterness in the mouth, which is caused by heart fire inflammation; bile tastes bitter, so gallbladder fire inflammation or gallbladder qi can cause bitterness in the mouth. Modern medical research has also found that bitterness in the mouth is related to bile acid in oral saliva.

A bitter taste in the mouth when you wake up in the morning may be a warning symptom of a disease or indicate that you are in a sub-healthy state. If you have a good physical examination in the past, feel good, and only have a bitter taste in the mouth, you can often eliminate the bitter taste in the mouth by adjusting your diet, mood, and work and rest schedule. However, if you not only have a bitter taste in the mouth, but also abdominal pain, nausea, or even vomiting or anorexia, or if you have lost a lot of weight recently, you should see a doctor in time. Here are some diseases that may cause bitter taste in the mouth.

Hepatobiliary diseases

Bile acid is an important bitter substance in the human body. Under normal circumstances, it circulates in the enterohepatic circulation and is present in very small amounts in peripheral blood. In the case of hepatobiliary disease, bile acid overflows in large quantities, causing a sharp increase in the bile acid content in the blood. The migration of bile acid in the blood causes an increase in the bile acid content in oral saliva, causing a bitter taste in the mouth. In addition, liver damage or chronic gallbladder inflammation caused by underlying diseases such as hepatitis B and cirrhosis may also cause bile reflux and cause a bitter taste in the mouth.

Gastric diseases

Reflux esophagitis, chronic gastritis, and Helicobacter pylori infection may also cause bile reflux, leading to bitter mouth symptoms, which can be alleviated by eradicating Helicobacter pylori. In addition, if gastrointestinal function is weakened and food stays in the gastrointestinal tract for too long, it will also cause bitter mouth.

Oral Disease

Local oral diseases such as gingivitis and bleeding gums are also common causes of bitter taste in the mouth.

other

People who have high work and life pressure, smoke, drink alcohol, have irregular lifestyle, lack of sleep and rest, lack of exercise, snore, and sleep with their mouth open are also prone to bitter taste in the mouth.

Note: Please follow your doctor’s advice on specific treatment and medication!

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This article is reproduced from: China Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine Author: Xu Jie Ge Laian

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