Aunt Fan had body aches, fatigue, poor sleep quality at night, and easy insomnia 4 years ago. She went to the hospital and the doctor told her that she had rheumatoid arthritis.
However, after a period of medication, the condition did not improve. eyes and mouth became dry, and teeth began to break.
Aunt Fan felt that her mouth was very dry. No matter how much water she drank, it had no effect. Later, it even developed to the point where she had to drink more than ten times of water when she woke up at night.
html Over the past 14 years, Aunt Fan has been undergoing treatment in various hospitals, but the results have not been satisfactory.
It was not until recently that Aunt Fan was diagnosed with Sjogren's syndrome by the Rheumatology and Immunology Department, and found out the true identity of this "strange disease".
1. My mouth is always dry. What’s going on?
A common symptom of dry mouth is drinking less water. In addition, it is also related to personal tolerance.
nerve reflex is the main basis for regulating human saliva secretion , and sympathetic nerve and parasympathetic nerve are the efferent nerves that control salivary glands. Excitation of these two nerves will promote more saliva secretion, and some elderly people have adapted to this This reflex means there will be no excessive salivation and discomfort. Some children will have excessive salivation if they cannot tolerate it.
Salivary glands regulate the secretion of saliva. Salivary glands generally secrete 1000~1500ml of saliva every day. When the composition of salivary glands changes or the secretion volume decreases, it will cause dry mouth symptoms.
Aging will cause dry mouth because body functions gradually degrade with age, salivary glands begin to atrophy, saliva secretion decreases, and dry mouth occurs.
may also be caused by special circumstances, such as: long-term use of antidepressants such as amitriptyline, imipramine, clonidine, prazosin and other antihypertensive drugs, which can easily Causes symptoms of dry mouth.
Vitamin deficiency is also one of the causes of dry mouth. Dry throat, numbness of hands and feet, ulcers at the corners of the mouth, etc. may also occur at the same time. You can supplement foods such as grains, nuts, vegetables and fruits, and fish in an appropriate amount. These foods contain a large amount of B vitamins .
If it has nothing to do with the above situation, you need to be alert to whether it is a signal of disease.
2. In these cases, it may be related to diseases
Dry mouth is not only a common physiological phenomenon, but also may be a sign of certain diseases.
, diabetes
Insufficient insulin production can cause diabetes. Common symptoms when blood sugar rises significantly are dry mouth and thirst. "Three more and one less" are typical symptoms of diabetic patients. This may be due to dehydration and polyuria causing decreased saliva production.
html The probability of dry mouth in patients with type 11 diabetes and type 2 diabetes is 8%-53% and 14%-62% respectively.
, Hashimoto's thyroiditis
Hashimoto's thyroiditis is an autoimmune thyroid disease, which is characterized by positive serum antibodies against thyroid antigens such as thyroglobulin and thyroid hormone receptors.
Most patients with thyroid also suffer from Sjogren's syndrome and have dry mouth.
. Sjögren’s syndrome
The representative disease of dry mouth caused by insufficient saliva secretion is Sjögren’s syndrome. The patient's salivary glands are targeted and attacked by the immune system. Mast cells, macrophages , plasma cells , T cells, and B cells infiltrate the salivary glands. Anti-Ro and anti-La autoantibodies target the muscarinic 3 receptor, causing Salivary gland atrophy.
is more common in women, with a high incidence in the 40-60 age group. It can manifest as dry mouth, dry eyes, dry nose, dry respiratory tract and digestive tract.
. Hyperthyroidism
Hyperthyroidism is commonly known as "hyperthyroidism" and often occurs in women. Its main symptoms include excessive activity, accelerated heartbeat and breathing, insomnia, sweating and shaking hands, mood swings, and sensitivity to surrounding things.
Patients with hyperthyroidism will accelerate energy metabolism, increase oxygen consumption , increase heat production and heat dissipation, and reduce the water content in the body, thus increasing the chance of dry mouth.
, Diabetes insipidus
Polyuria and polydipsia are the two main symptoms of diabetes insipidus . antidiuretic hormone is usually considered to be the culprit in diabetes insipidus. It affects the kidney's process of concentrating urine. Once the concentration of antidiuretic hormone decreases, it will dilute urine and increase urine output.
Diabetes insipidus can be alleviated by replenishing water and taking medications.
3. Dry mouth, so drinking water is useful
Drinking water seems to be a very simple thing, but there are some things that need to be paid attention to.
First, don’t drink water when you are thirsty. It is now generally believed that when the human body feels thirsty, it means that the body is already in a state of water shortage. Especially in the elderly, the kidney function declines, body fluid balance recovers slowly, and thirsty Sensitivity is felt more slowly. When the ambient temperature and humidity increase, the elderly may not drink enough water, which increases the risk.
In daily life, we should develop the habit of taking the initiative to drink water and try to drink small amounts and often . It is recommended that adult men with low activity level drink 1700ml of water every day, and women drink 1500ml of water.
Second, do not use drinks instead of water. Long-term intake of drinks can easily lead to excessive sugar intake and increase the risks of obesity, dental caries, osteoporosis and other risks. Although food contains part of the amount of water that can be replaced, foods such as milk, soy milk, soup and porridge cannot completely replace our usual drinking water.
Third, seize the good time to drink water. During the nap, the body temperature rises, and sweating and other activities evaporate part of the water. In addition, gastrointestinal digestion during lunch will also consume water, which can easily cause thirst, so you can drink water after a nap. Add 200ml of water.
You need to add about 200ml of warm water 1 hour before going to bed at night, because the human body will lose part of the water in the body through activities such as breathing and sweat evaporation while sleeping, and the blood viscosity will also rise to the highest level. Some people have the habit of getting up at night. At this time, they can add a glass of 100ml of water, which can help reduce the risk of nighttime attacks of high blood pressure and diabetes.
In addition to being a normal physiological phenomenon, dry mouth may also be a warning of disease, so don’t ignore the symptoms of dry mouth easily in your daily life.
Reference:
[1] "Dry mouth, dry eyes, broken teeth, she actually got this strange disease! It’s peak season right now! 》. City Express. 2015-12-01
[2]《These 6 types of thirst, drinking water does not help, and ulcers often occur! Be careful because it is missing in the body." I am a doctor's official Weibo. 2020-07-03
[3] "Still superstitious about 8 glasses of water a day? This is how you should drink water! 》.Beijing Yitong. 2018-09-25
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