Patient's question:
Detailed medical condition and purpose of consultation:For more than a year, I have been feeling dry mouth upon waking up in the morning, and then a full stomach after meals. My appetite is also small. It seems that even drinking some water doesn’t help. I don’t feel hungry, and even after having some porridge and vegetables for dinner, I feel full. I even feel like drinking milk but don’t have the space for it. Moreover, I’m not a sedentary person—I keep moving and doing things, but it doesn’t help.
Please ask: What could be the reason? Is there any good solution?
Doctor's answer:
Hello: Dry mouth is not an independent disease, and there is rarely detailed literature reporting this issue. However, dry mouth is indeed an uncomfortable sensation experienced by many people. It has either long-term or temporary effects on many individuals, especially the elderly. In severe cases, it can make tongue movement difficult, affecting communication and eating. So, what factors can cause dry mouth?Physiological dry mouth is often seen in cases of insufficient water intake, excessive salty food consumption, heavy dry food intake, after intense exercise or excessive sweating, and neurofunctional disorders. Menopause, as well as mental factors like stress and anxiety, can also lead to dry mouth. Normal elderly individuals may experience varying degrees of dry mouth due to atrophy of salivary glands in the oral mucosa and reduced saliva secretion. Pathological dry mouth is seen after colds, severe vomiting, diarrhea, and high fever. Patients with rhinitis, sinusitis, or deviated nasal septum often develop dry mouth due to poor nasal ventilation and mouth breathing, leading to moisture evaporation from the oral cavity. Asthma patients may experience dry mouth due to increased and deeper breathing, causing excessive moisture evaporation from the respiratory tract. Sleep apnea patients, regardless of the cause, may develop dry mouth in the morning after mouth breathing during the night. Diabetes-related dry mouth is the most well-known, where patients may experience dry mouth and thirst due to elevated blood sugar levels causing increased plasma osmolarity and polyuria. Certain pituitary tumors can also cause dry mouth. The most severe form of dry mouth is seen in patients with Sj?gren's syndrome. Immune reactions in these patients destroy the parotid glands, salivary glands in the oral cavity, lacrimal glands, and nasal mucosal glands, leading to unbearable dry mouth, dry eyes, and nasal dryness. In severe cases, even moving the tongue and closing the eyes becomes difficult.
Diagnosis and treatment should be combined with other symptoms.