Signs of diabetes in your mouth and breath

 Source:https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health-news

The health burden of diabetes is increasing worldwide. It is among the leading causes of mortality as it involves all organs of the body. The lifestyle disorder has also been listed as a key comorbidity that makes one prone to a more serious COVID illness. While diabetes management is extremely crucial, a lot of times it goes undiscovered and leads to complications. Thus, it’s crucial to identify the signs and seek medical help immediately.

According to the Mayo Clinic, if your blood sugar level is too high, you may experience some symptoms around your mouth. Dr. Dheeraj Kapoor, Chief - Endocrinology, Artemis Hospital, Gurugram explains, “Diabetes is a systemic disease which means it involves all organs of the body and the mouth obviously is not exempted from it. So once we talk about diabetes, we talk about kidneys, the nerves, and so forth. But there is one body part we don’t talk about often in relation to diabetes - and that is the mouth.” One must understand that infections of the mouth are very common and more so in diabetics. “It is a dictum that if someone has well-controlled diabetes and suddenly the control goes haywire even with a good diet and exercise, one must check for urine infections and for dental and oral infections.”

It is important to examine the mouth for foul breath, what we call Halitosis. “If you find that sugar level is bad, there is foul breath and if you see some infections in the oral cavity or in the teeth, then one must refer the patient to the dental surgeon.”

 Diabetic ketoacidosis, this is an acute emergency of diabetes wherein because of the formation of the ketone, there is a foul odor or fruity odor is common in patients with diabetic ketoacidosis.

In patients with more than 250/300 sugar levels, foul order can be a good marker or pointer towards diabetic ketoacidosis. The patient needs to get a urine check to check if the ketones are present. Diabetes ketoacidosis and halitosis, what we call foul breath, are the worrying conditions that may occur in diabetics, shares Dr Kapoor.

Diabetes, if left untreated can cause heart disease, stroke, kidney disorders, neuropathy, can lead to leg amputation and even blindness. This is a big stress on the Indian healthcare system and prevention and timely diagnosis is critical.