Saliva is a fluid that plays an important role in the functioning of the human body. It helps soften food fragments. In addition, such secretions contain substances that contribute to the normal digestion process and protect the oral cavity from the effects of harmful microbes. Sometimes people have to deal with such an unpleasant symptom as blood in their saliva. Consider this feature in more detail.
Contributing Factors
This phenomenon indicates the presence of violations of the body. The main causes of the symptom include:
- Pathological processes in the dental tissue, gums.
- Mechanical damage to the nasal cavity.
- Disorders of the heart.
- Inadequate intake of vitamin C in the body.
- Benign neoplasms in lung tissue.
- Parasitic infestations.
- Infections
- Cancerous pathology.
- Inflammatory processes in the venous walls.
- Chemical poisoning.
- Tuberculosis.
How to find out what causes the appearance of blood in saliva is described in the following sections.
Associated symptoms
Noticing the presence of this symptom, many begin to fear for their health.
However, you should not panic. In some cases, this symptom does not indicate a serious malfunction in the body. But if blood in saliva is present against the background of other manifestations of the disease, you should pay attention to your well-being. A person who has encountered a similar symptom should consider the following aspects:
- The presence (absence) of cough.
- Temperature rise.
- Pain in the chest area.
- The presence of mechanical damage in the oral cavity or in the nose.
- Discomfort in the gums, increased sensitivity.
- The circumstances in which a symptom occurs.
Pathological processes in the oral cavity
This part of the human body performs many functions. If an individual has any kind of gum or dental tissue disease, they have difficulty swallowing, speaking, and chewing. Sometimes in such cases, saliva with blood is observed for reasons related to similar pathologies. This phenomenon can be explained by inflammatory processes in the gums. Blood secretion occurs after using a toothbrush.
It usually goes away on its own within a few minutes. Other reasons:
- Pathologies of the salivary glands (stones, tumors).
- Inflammation of the tissues located around the teeth. This condition is often associated with the expiration of a large amount of blood.
- The presence of mechanical damage in the oral cavity.
- Using a toothbrush with too hard bristles.
What does the appearance of blood in saliva without coughing mean?
The symptom is associated with the presence of certain pathological processes in the body. Fortunately, most of them either go away on their own, or are quite simply treated. As already mentioned, this symptom is often explained by the wrong choice of a brush for brushing your teeth. After this procedure, blood in the saliva may be observed. In such a situation, a personal hygiene item should be replaced. It is better to get a brush with a softer pile. If the gums still feel discomfort, you need to visit the dentist.
Sometimes a person has blood in their saliva without coughing for reasons related to mechanical damage. For example, with a nose injury.
This can occur even a few days after the cure. The fact is that blood particles are stored in this organ for a while and enter the oral cavity through salivary fluid.
Sometimes this symptom also indicates more serious pathologies that require seeking medical help. For example, if an individual has a disease caused by exposure to viruses. As a rule, at the same time, a person feels fatigue, discomfort in the sternum and lower extremities, his temperature rises.
The occurrence of a symptom in the morning
Experts recommend paying special attention to this situation. It may be associated with a protracted form of pathological processes in the gums and oral cavity. Such ailments cannot be ignored, because they often lead to tooth loss. Sometimes saliva is present in the morning due to chronic inflammation of the pharynx or nose. This symptom is also characteristic of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, myocardium and blood vessels. It may also indicate the development of a severe viral illness - pneumonia. Such a pathology has, as a rule, an acute course. Blood in the saliva in the morning, which is accompanied by a cough, is a characteristic manifestation of the inflammatory process in the lungs. In addition, the symptom sometimes occurs against the background of metal poisoning. Intoxication is accompanied by a feeling of weakness, fever, pain in the chest.
Diseases of the myocardium and vascular system
Blood in saliva is often observed in patients with CVD pathologies. For example, if a person has high blood pressure. The walls of the vessels in this situation can rupture. Myocardial disease is also accompanied by the appearance of saliva with an admixture of blood. This is due to the fact that a weak heart muscle performs poorly. As a result of such ailments, cells and tissues are poorly supplied with oxygen. Stagnation occurs in the organs of the body. If this process affects the lungs, a cough is possible with the release of blood. This symptom is also characteristic of other pathologies:
- Compression of the mitral valve (may lead to the formation of edema in the respiratory system).
- Blockage of the pulmonary artery.
- An increase in the size of the aortic fragment. This disease is also associated with congestion. Severe tissue edema may appear.
The occurrence of a symptom in the process of expectoration
This condition can be caused by several reasons, for example:
- Inflammation in the lungs. The cough is accompanied by the release of bright, rich scarlet saliva. The patient experiences pain in the area of the shoulder blades.
- Accumulation of pus in lung tissue. In this case, sputum is observed, which is colored red-green and has a characteristic unpleasant odor.
- Tuberculosis. Blood in the saliva during expectoration has a pinkish tint. There is foam in it. Such a disease is accompanied by a whole complex of symptoms. It includes a periodic increase in temperature, profuse flow of sweat, a constant feeling of weakness, drowsiness.
- Mechanical damage to lung tissue, foreign objects getting into it.
Inflammatory diseases of the throat and respiratory system
Sometimes, in the case of a prolonged cold, the capillaries of the mucous membrane of the larynx are damaged. This occurs during coughing. The rupture of small vessels becomes an explanation of why saliva with blood is excreted with such a malaise. Inflammation in the tissues of the bronchi, as well as tonsillitis, can provoke the onset of this symptom. However, this symptom does not always mean problems with the respiratory system, larynx or nasal cavity.
Blood particles in saliva in patients with gastritis
Symptoms such as heartburn, discomfort in the upper peritoneum and the formation of white plaque on the surface of the tongue indicate the development of the pathology. If you ignore the signs of the disease and do not seek medical help, an exacerbation may occur.
It is evidenced by the appearance of blood in saliva with gastritis.
Other gastrointestinal diseases
Often, symptoms of pathologies of the digestive system are accompanied by vomiting. A similar reaction is characteristic for inflammation of the appendix, pancreas or liver, as well as an exacerbation of the chronic form of cholecystitis. In addition, malignant tumors of the gastrointestinal tract are often accompanied by a feeling of nausea. The presence of blood in the saliva after vomiting indicates a deterioration in the condition of a patient who suffers from one of these diseases.
The onset of a symptom with an ulcer
This pathology often provokes rupture of blood vessels. The cause of this phenomenon is the destruction of the walls of the capillaries. The process takes place on that part of the stomach tissue where the ulcer is located.
Blood in saliva with such a disease is accompanied by a pale skin tone, dizziness, a pronounced feeling of weakness, a decrease in blood pressure and an acceleration of the heart rhythm. In this case, self-medication is not recommended. An exacerbation of such a pathology as an ulcer requires immediate medical attention and hospitalization.
Severe conditions: cancer and HIV
Blood in the saliva in the morning due to a tumor and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is common. Cancer pathologies of the throat often lead to the appearance of such a malaise. Unfortunately, in the early stages, cancer does not signal itself with pronounced symptoms. Therefore, they are usually diagnosed already at the stage when the patient has very few chances for a cure. With a swelling of the throat, the presence of blood in the saliva is accompanied by a feeling of discomfort during swallowing, a feeling of a lump in the area of the larynx, and an exhausting cough. AIDS, like cancer, is difficult to detect. Its detection occurs only with the help of a special analysis. Saliva with an admixture of blood occurs as a result of the syndrome (pneumonia, tuberculosis, pathologies of the myocardium, blood vessels, gastrointestinal tract).
Diagnostic Methods
To establish what illness this symptom is associated with, a specialist prescribes certain procedures to the patient. Medical events include:
- Studies of the respiratory system (lungs, bronchi).
- CT
- Assessment of the state of the myocardium.
- Blood coagulation test.
- Diagnosis of possible diseases of the digestive tract using an endoscope.
- Laboratory analyzes of biological material.
Depending on what diagnosis will be made to the patient after the diagnostic procedures, the specialist prescribes therapy.
The role of the right diet
Blood in saliva is a symptom that indicates the fragility of the walls of blood vessels. To make them stronger, in addition to the main treatment for diseases, the doctor may recommend a special diet. The diet should include the following foods:
- Citrus fruits (lemons, oranges and tangerines).
- Beet.
- Honey.
- Carrot.
- Dried fruits and berries.
- Sunflower seeds.
- Kernels
- Skinny fish and meat.
- Vegetables containing a large amount of protein (green peas, beans).
- Fresh cucumbers.
- Onions, parsley, cilantro, dill.
- Berries of strawberry and black currant.
- Garlic.
- Eggplant.
- A decoction of rosehip berries.
- Green grade of tea.
Fatty meat products, smoked, fried and sweet foods, canned foods should be excluded or limited. These dishes have a bad effect on blood vessels and contain a large number of chemical compounds that provoke the development of cancerous tumors. According to the doctor's prescription, patients with weak vessels are recommended to take vitamin complexes.
As an additional method of therapy in the event of blood in the saliva, some doctors recommend remedies based on medicinal plants (goose cinquefoil, plantain, and mountaineer peppers).