What is the reason for dry mouth all the time?

Everyone knows that boiled water is the best drink. When you are sick, doctors will always advise you to drink more water. Many minor problems can be solved by drinking more water. Drinking more water can promote blood circulation and metabolism and replenish water. But always feeling thirsty and wanting to drink water, and drinking more than ten glasses of water a day is not a good sign. It may be a sign of illness. So, what is the reason for always feeling dry mouth?

1. Sjögren's syndrome

Experts point out that patients with Sjögren's syndrome may also experience symptoms of dry mouth. Sjögren's syndrome is an autoimmune disease that often affects the exocrine glands. Dry mouth and dry eyes are the most prominent manifestations. In the early stages, patients often experience a lack of saliva, dry mouth, or a sticky feeling in the mouth, followed by difficulty swallowing. They must use water to swallow dry food (such as biscuits), and may wake up at night due to dry mouth. Experts explain that the dry mouth of Sjögren's syndrome is caused by the destruction of the saliva glands by immune cells, resulting in reduced saliva secretion. However, the patient's body is not dehydrated, so he often likes to drink small amounts of water multiple times. This is different from the thirst caused by diabetes. The thirst caused by diabetes is due to increased blood sugar and osmotic diuresis leading to dehydration in the body. Patients need to drink plenty of water to replenish water.

About half of patients with Sjögren's syndrome have enlarged parotid glands, and some also have enlarged submandibular glands or nearby lymph nodes. Some patients also experience joint pain, most commonly in the elbows and knees, as well as a foreign body sensation or burning sensation in the eyes, and scabs form in the nostrils. Severe Sjögren's syndrome can cause damage to the patient's renal tubules, leading to serious consequences such as arrhythmia. Sjögren's syndrome is easily missed and misdiagnosed. Patients need to see a rheumatologist for a comprehensive examination. Blood tests such as ANA (antinuclear antibodies), anti-SSA and anti-SSB can confirm the diagnosis.

2. Hyperthyroidism

Hyperthyroidism (hyperthyroidism) can also cause dry mouth symptoms. 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.

3. 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.

Drinking plenty of water is a good habit and you should keep it. However, if you always have a dry mouth, drinking more water will not solve the problem. Everyone should pay attention to it. Go to the hospital for a check-up and get treatment as soon as possible, and you won’t be troubled by dry mouth anymore. Well, the above is what the editor introduced to you about the causes of dry mouth. I hope it can solve the problem for you.