The taste of blood in the mouth: what it means, causes, methods of disposal
The appearance of a foreign bad taste in the mouth alarms a person. This symptom indicates either the unsuitability of the food eaten, or violations in the body. The taste of blood in the mouth is very specific, the causes of its occurrence in men and women are the same, but in the latter this symptom manifests itself more often.
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Why the taste of blood in the mouth - the main reasons
Blood has a metallic smell and taste, because its red blood cells include iron-containing hemoglobin. A strange taste sensation can occur when there is a clear presence of blood in the oral cavity. But it also happens that a person feels the taste of blood for no reason. Such a symptom can be triggered by very diverse factors, among which are relatively safe for the body:
- Injury to the oral mucosa. The most common cause of a metallic taste is biting the lips, cheeks, and tongue while talking or eating. Such injuries often occur when wearing uncomfortable dentures, malocclusion and the presence of breakaway teeth.
- Side effect of drugs. Some antibiotics and antihistamines have this property, but even more often a metallic taste is felt when taking multivitamin and iron-containing drugs.
- Distortion of taste during pregnancy. Hormonal bursts in the expectant mother distort the perception of the world, and, therefore, the perception of the taste and aroma of food.
- Taste of blood in the mouth after running. This symptom is more often manifested in men and women after an incorrectly organized training, during which an excessive load on the lungs is produced.
During running, capillaries in the pulmonary alveoli may rupture, resulting in small portions of blood clearing their throats and causing a metallic taste.
Dangerous causes of a taste of blood in the mouth
Some diseases and conditions that provoke a distortion of taste perception can be dangerous not only for health but also for human life:
- Epistaxis and throat bleeding due to injury or burn. In this case, a person observes the obvious presence of blood in the nose or mouth, sometimes in large quantities. This situation requires urgent medical attention.
- Increased fragility of blood vessels. Most often, small capillaries in the mouth and throat burst at elevated loads amid malnutrition and age-related changes.
- Anemia. Reducing the iron content in red blood cells is often accompanied by a taste of metal in the mouth. With iron deficiency, pallor of the skin is observed, dizziness and attacks of malaise become more frequent.
- Poisoning. If a large amount of heavy metals enters the body, a sensation of an appropriate taste appears. Employees of chemical plants often suffer from this phenomenon if they are improperly handled with hazardous substances, such as mercury. If a person has weakness, confusion or fainting, fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, then he needs the help of doctors.
Dental causes of a taste of blood in the mouth
Many men and women faced a situation where the taste of blood was felt in the mouth, but there was no blood itself. Such a sign often means the development of dental diseases.A dentist must be involved in their treatment, but you can approximately determine why discomfort occurred at home.
| Dental disease | Causes of a taste of blood | Associated symptoms |
|---|---|---|
|
Gingivitis
|
Bleeding of inflamed gum tissue. | Signs of an inflammatory process in the gums: itching, pain, swelling, redness. |
|
Stomatitis
|
Bleeding of the oral mucosa, on the surface of which ulcers form. | The accumulation of plaque, the appearance of ulcers or blisters on the mucous membrane of the oral cavity, pain and fever. |
|
Periodontitis
|
Bleeding of gingival pockets. | Exposure of the cervical and root parts of the tooth, suppuration. |
|
The abundance of dental plaque
|
The gum is injured by the sharp edge of the hardened tartar. | Teeth lined with visible hard coating, bad breath. |
Diseases of the internal organs
The metallic taste can be felt with diseases of different organs:
| Disease group | Causes of metallic taste | Associated symptoms |
|---|---|---|
| Respiratory diseases: tuberculosis, pneumonia, cancer, tonsillitis, runny nose, sinusitis. |
The capillaries of the affected organs of the respiratory system become more fragile. During coughing, sneezing, heavy exertion, they break, which provokes slight bleeding. With a cold, a person often breathes through the mouth, which is why the mucous membrane of the oral cavity dries out at night, and small vessels may burst in it. |
Cough, nasal discharge, purulent breath. |
| Digestive tract diseases. | Inflammation of different sections of the gastrointestinal tract may be accompanied by a violation of the tone of their vessels. Severe pathologies, accompanied by ulceration of the walls of the stomach, esophagus, lead to internal bleeding. | Abdominal pain, nausea, stool disturbance, weakness, halitosis. |
| Diseases of the cardiovascular system: angina pectoris, heart attack. | Such diseases are often accompanied by fragility of blood vessels throughout the body. With vascular diseases, blood can stagnate in the lungs, enter the alveoli and cough with mucus. | Pain in the heart, impaired blood supply to the limbs, dizziness, darkening in the eyes. |
The taste of blood is a symptom provoked by diseases of various organs. That's why for diagnosis, you may need to consult with several specialists - an otolaryngologist, cardiologist, gastroenterologist.
How to get rid of the taste of blood in the mouth
The appearance of a taste of blood should be taken seriously. You should definitely go to the doctor for diagnosis, especially if the symptom manifests itself regularly or is very pronounced. After identifying the causes of distortion of taste perception, it is necessary to treat the underlying disease, following the instructions of the attending physician.
So that an unpleasant sensation appears less often and is not too pronounced, you need to follow these rules:
- When bleeding gums, do not use hard brushes, it is advisable to use special toothpastes.
- Rinsing the mouth with sage broth reduces the fragility of the capillaries of the gums.
- With a deficiency of iron and vitamins, you need to increase the proportion of citrus fruits, bananas, apples and other fruits in the diet, more often use the liver and buckwheat porridge.
- Ginger tea and the use of citrus fruits will help eliminate the metallic taste.
- If you intend to start running, you need to properly organize your workouts. It is better to train under the supervision of a professional trainer so that there are no overloads while running.
If a taste of blood appears in your mouth, then you need to carefully monitor your body. With minor injuries on the mucous membrane of the oral cavity, the symptom disappears on its own and does not cause noticeable harm. But many other pathologies, especially affecting the internal organs or associated with serious injuries, require urgent and complete treatment.
