What causes dry mouth and thirst?

Physical illness can be reflected from some small details. For example, kidney pain may be caused by stones, and chest pain may be caused by lung inflammation. These details provide a lot of convenience for diagnosing diseases. Many people have experienced dry mouth and thirst, but they have not paid enough attention to it, resulting in other serious diseases. So, what causes dry mouth and thirst?

1. Oral diseases

Oral diseases such as chronic submandibular gland inflammation, mumps, oral gland stones, etc. can lead to oral gland lesions and reduce saliva secretion, thus causing dry mouth symptoms; and many elderly people have aging and reduced function of tissues and organs, and atrophy of oral glands, which reduces saliva secretion and causes dry mouth. This type of dry mouth in the elderly is physiological dry mouth, and they can go to the dentistry department for a specialist examination.

2. Hyperthyroidism

Hyperthyroidism (hyperthyroidism) can also cause dry mouth. Clinical symptoms include dry mouth, sweating, heat intolerance, thyroid enlargement, and exophthalmos. Hyperthyroidism has a slow onset and its early symptoms are not obvious, so it is easily ignored by patients. However, with the help of thyroid function laboratory tests, it is easy to get a clear diagnosis, so thyroid examination is very necessary.

3. Lungs do not distribute fluid, kidney yin is insufficient

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that dry mouth involves the lungs, kidneys, spleen and stomach. Lung fluid deficiency and kidney yin deficiency can cause dry mouth. Eating spicy and hot foods can also cause dry mouth. At this time, drinking water alone is not enough, and you also need to nourish yin and produce fluid. Drinks such as watermelon juice, lotus root juice, pear juice, milk, and sour plum juice can help quench thirst, so you should adjust your life starting with your diet.