How your Breath Could Signal Signs of Other Health Issues

Articles on Health | Topics: health, healthy

by Xander Figueroa

If you have bad breath and are:

unable to control it through your daily oral hygiene regimen

not on a fad diet, and

not eating lots of heavily seasoned ethnic foods on a regular basis,

you have chronic halitosis that is very likely caused by a medical condition.

Anyone of any age can suffer from chronic halitosis -- and suffer is the right word. Halitosis can turn you into a social outcast and create a paranoia that perpetuates that outcast status. Many sufferers are so embarrassed about the problem that they even hesitate to mention it to their doctor. That, however, is a BIG MISTAKE; your doctor is exactly the person who may be able to help you with the problem.

What causes a halitosis condition? There are many possible medical causes for halitosis; following is a listing of medical and dental problems that can create malodorous breath:

Real and imagined bad breath: Anxiety and stress both play a part in halitosis. Stressful situations slow down your natural production of saliva and saliva is your body's front line of defense against bad breath. Oddly enough, a condition called "Psychogenic halitosis" is an anxiety caused by a fear of getting halitosis when you don't actually have it -- this anxiety, however, can cause stress and that can turn your Psychogenic halitosis into a self-fulfilling prophesy.

Oral conditions such as tooth decay, dental plaque, tooth abscesses, tooth infections,

Gingivitis, gum disease, periodontitis and poorly cleaned dentures can all cause halitosis.

Dry mouth caused by inadequate saliva production promotes bad breath as does breathing through your mouth which dries out your mouth.

Mouth ulcers or oral cancer

Cancer of the pharynx or larynx cancer

Throat infection (usually associated with sinus infections)

Tonsillitis, chronic tonsillitis or adenoiditis

Nasal conditions such as sinusitis, rhinitis and postnasal drip

Infections of the respiratory system

Mouth infections

Lung infections

Lung diseases such as pyorrhea, bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis, lung abscess, tuberculosis

Problems related to your metabolism or hormones

Liver failure

Diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis (see below)

Kidney failure (causing uremia and ammonia-like or urine-like breath odor).

Stomach disorders

Certain types of poisoning

Historical Quote

The sick man is taken away by the institution that takes charge not of the individual, but of his illness, an isolated object transformed or eliminated by technicians devoted to the defense of health the way others are attached to the defense of law and order or tidiness.

—Michel de Certeau (1925–1986)

Certain drugs and prescription medications

Particular medications that are known to cause breath problems are:

Any drugs that dry the mouth, nose or reduce salivation

Antihistamines

Certain sinus disorder drugs

Certain antidepressants

Paraldehyde

Disulfiram

Some particular odors: There are some medical conditions that cause a very distinctive breath odor -- if there are signs of these odors in your breath, see your doctor immediately.

Fruity odor: If your breath has a fruity odor, it may be a sign your body is trying to get rid of excess acetone; this is a characteristic of a possibly life threatening condition called ketoacidosis and might signal that you have diabetes.

Fecal odor: If your breath resembles the smell of feces it may signal a bowel obstruction, especially when coupled with vomiting.

Ammonia odor: If your breath has an ammonia-like or urine-like odor you may be experiencing kidney failure.

Sweet odor: Sweet smelling breath may be an indication of liver problems.

But how do I know how my breath smells to other people? The fact is, its nearly impossible to smell your own breath as others smell it. Two facts stand in the way of this working: first of all, your mouth and nose are not separate entities, they are connected by a passage that is way in the back of your mouth; secondly, your nose will filter out internal smells. So you can stop breathing into your cupped hand now -- it won't work!

If you really want to know what your breath smells like, there are three ways to approach it.

You can ask someone you trust to tell you if your breath is offensive

You can see a dentist who has access to a breath testing instrument called a 'halimeter;'

You can do a self test! The self test is performed by using a cotton swab to swab as far back as you can on the top of your tongue (an alternate method is to use an inverted spoon to gently scrape your tongue). After the swab (or spoon) has dried for just a couple minutes, smell it to get an indication, albeit subjective, of how your breath smells.

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Please note: All personal opinions expressed in the "How your Breath Could Signal Signs of Other Health Issues" article belong to the contributing author and are not necessarily shared by HealthExerciseSports.com.

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