Hypersalivation

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Hypersalivation
Other namesPtyalism, [1] sialorrhea, [2] water brash
Specialty Oral and maxillofacial surgery   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Hypersalivation or hypersialosis is the excessive production of saliva. [3] It has also been defined as increased amount of saliva in the mouth, which may also be caused by decreased clearance of saliva. [4]

Contents

Hypersalivation can contribute to drooling if there is an inability to keep the mouth closed or difficulty in swallowing (dysphagia) the excess saliva, which can lead to excessive spitting.

Hypersalivation also often precedes emesis (vomiting), where it accompanies nausea (a feeling of needing to vomit). [5]

Causes

Excessive production

Conditions that can cause saliva overproduction include: [4]

Medications that can cause overproduction of saliva include: [4]

Substances that can cause hypersalivation include: [4]

Decreased clearance

Causes of decreased clearance of saliva include: [4]

Treatment

Hypersalivation is optimally treated by treating or avoiding the underlying cause. [4] Mouthwash and tooth brushing may have drying effects. [4]

In the palliative care setting, anticholinergics and similar drugs that would normally reduce the production of saliva causing a dry mouth could be considered for symptom management: scopolamine, atropine, propantheline, hyoscine, amitriptyline, glycopyrrolate. [9]

As of 2008, it is unclear if medication for people who have too much saliva due to clozapine treatment is useful. [10]

Related Research Articles

Drooling, or slobbering, is the flow of saliva outside the mouth. Drooling can be caused by excess production of saliva, inability to retain saliva within the mouth, or problems with swallowing.

Heartburn, also known as pyrosis, cardialgia or acid indigestion, is a burning sensation in the central chest or upper central abdomen. Heartburn is usually due to regurgitation of gastric acid into the esophagus. It is the major symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gastroesophageal reflux disease</span> Flow of stomach contents into the esophagus

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) is a chronic upper gastrointestinal disease in which stomach content persistently and regularly flows up into the esophagus, resulting in symptoms and/or complications. Symptoms include dental corrosion, dysphagia, heartburn, odynophagia, regurgitation, non-cardiac chest pain, extraesophageal symptoms such as chronic cough, hoarseness, reflux-induced laryngitis, or asthma. In the long term, and when not treated, complications such as esophagitis, esophageal stricture, and Barrett's esophagus may arise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esophagitis</span> Inflammation of the esophagus

Esophagitis, also spelled oesophagitis, is a disease characterized by inflammation of the esophagus. The esophagus is a tube composed of a mucosal lining, and longitudinal and circular smooth muscle fibers. It connects the pharynx to the stomach; swallowed food and liquids normally pass through it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uremia</span> Excess urea in the blood due to kidney dysfunction

Uremia is the term for high levels of urea in the blood. Urea is one of the primary components of urine. It can be defined as an excess in the blood of amino acid and protein metabolism end products, such as urea and creatinine, which would be normally excreted in the urine. Uremic syndrome can be defined as the terminal clinical manifestation of kidney failure. It is the signs, symptoms and results from laboratory tests which result from inadequate excretory, regulatory, and endocrine function of the kidneys. Both uremia and uremic syndrome have been used interchangeably to denote a very high plasma urea concentration that is the result of renal failure. The former denotation will be used for the rest of the article.

Photophobia is a medical symptom of abnormal intolerance to visual perception of light. As a medical symptom, photophobia is not a morbid fear or phobia, but an experience of discomfort or pain to the eyes due to light exposure or by presence of actual physical sensitivity of the eyes, though the term is sometimes additionally applied to abnormal or irrational fear of light, such as heliophobia. The term photophobia comes from the Greek φῶς (phōs), meaning "light", and φόβος (phóbos), meaning "fear".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chest pain</span> Discomfort or pain in the chest as a medical symptom

Chest pain is pain or discomfort in the chest, typically the front of the chest. It may be described as sharp, dull, pressure, heaviness or squeezing. Associated symptoms may include pain in the shoulder, arm, upper abdomen, or jaw, along with nausea, sweating, or shortness of breath. It can be divided into heart-related and non-heart-related pain. Pain due to insufficient blood flow to the heart is also called angina pectoris. Those with diabetes or the elderly may have less clear symptoms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Signs and symptoms</span> Indications of a specific illness, including psychiatric

Signs and symptoms are the observed or detectable signs, and experienced symptoms of an illness, injury, or condition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xerostomia</span> Medical condition

Xerostomia, also known as dry mouth, is a subjective complaint of dryness in the mouth, which may be associated with a change in the composition of saliva, or reduced salivary flow, or have no identifiable cause.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parotitis</span> Medical condition

Parotitis is an inflammation of one or both parotid glands, the major salivary glands located on either side of the face, in humans. The parotid gland is the salivary gland most commonly affected by inflammation.

Aerophagia is a condition of excessive air swallowing, which goes to the stomach instead of the lungs. Aerophagia may also refer to an unusual condition where the primary symptom is excessive flatus (farting), belching (burping) is not present, and the actual mechanism by which air enters the gut is obscure or unknown. Aerophagia in psychiatry is sometimes attributed to nervousness or anxiety.

Anuria is nonpassage of urine, in practice is defined as passage of less than 100 milliliters of urine in a day. Anuria is often caused by failure in the function of kidneys. It may also occur because of some severe obstruction like kidney stones or tumours. It may occur with end stage kidney disease. It is a more extreme reduction than oliguria (hypouresis), with 100 mL/day being the conventional cutoff point between the two.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amisulpride</span> Atypical antipsychotic and antiemetic medication

Amisulpride is an antiemetic and antipsychotic medication used at lower doses intravenously to prevent and treat postoperative nausea and vomiting; and at higher doses by mouth to treat schizophrenia and acute psychotic episodes. It is sold under the brand names Barhemsys and Solian, Socian, Deniban and others. At very low doses it is also used to treat dysthymia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vomiting</span> Involuntary, forceful expulsion of stomach contents, typically via the mouth

Vomiting is the involuntary, forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose.

Biliary reflux, bile reflux, duodenogastroesophageal reflux (DGER) or duodenogastric reflux is a condition that occurs when bile and/or other contents like bicarbonate, and pancreatic enzymes flow upward (refluxes) from the duodenum into the stomach and esophagus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stomach disease</span> Medical condition

Stomach diseases include gastritis, gastroparesis, Crohn's disease and various cancers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foster Kennedy syndrome</span> Medical condition

Foster Kennedy syndrome is a constellation of findings associated with tumors of the frontal lobe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nausea</span> Medical symptom or condition

Nausea is a diffuse sensation of unease and discomfort, sometimes perceived as an urge to vomit. While not painful, it can be a debilitating symptom if prolonged and has been described as placing discomfort on the chest, abdomen, or back of the throat.

Cricopharyngeal spasms occur in the cricopharyngeus muscle of the pharynx. Cricopharyngeal spasm is an uncomfortable but harmless and temporary disorder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salivary gland disease</span> Medical condition

Salivary gland diseases (SGDs) are multiple and varied in cause. There are three paired major salivary glands in humans: the parotid glands, the submandibular glands, and the sublingual glands. There are also about 800–1,000 minor salivary glands in the mucosa of the mouth. The parotid glands are in front of the ears, one on side, and secrete mostly serous saliva, via the parotid ducts, into the mouth, usually opening roughly opposite the second upper molars. The submandibular gland is medial to the angle of the mandible, and it drains its mixture of serous and mucous saliva via the submandibular duct into the mouth, usually opening in a punctum in the floor of mouth. The sublingual gland is below the tongue, on the floor of the mouth; it drains its mostly mucous saliva into the mouth via about 8–20 ducts, which open along the plica sublingualis, a fold of tissue under the tongue.

References

  1. thefreedictionar.com > ptyalism Citing:
    • Dorland's Medical Dictionary for Health Consumers. 2007
    • Mosby's Medical Dictionary, 8th edition. 2009
    • Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary, 3 ed. 2007
  2. thefreedictionary.com > sialorrhea Citing:
    • The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, Updated in 2009.
  3. "hypersalivation" . Merriam-Webster's Medical Desk Dictionary. Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster. 1986. p. 371 via Internet Archive.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Medscape > Hypersalivation By Erica Brownfield. Posted: 05/19/2004(registration required)
  5. Kumar, Parveen J.; Clark, Michael L., eds. (2005). Clinical medicine (6th ed.). Edinburgh: Elsevier Saunders. p. 266. ISBN   978-0-7020-2763-5.
  6. Reynolds, Gretchen. "Well". The New York Times.
  7. thefreedictionary.com > water brash Citing: Dorland's Medical Dictionary for Health Consumers. 2007
  8. Rheumatology
  9. Medical Care of the Dying, 4th Edition, 2006, Edited by G.Michael Downing MD and Wendy Wainwright, MEd
  10. Syed, R; Au, K; Cahill, C; Duggan, L; He, Y; Udu, V; Xia, J (16 July 2008). Syed, Rebecca (ed.). "Pharmacological interventions for clozapine-induced hypersalivation". The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (3): CD005579. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD005579.pub2. PMC   4160791 . PMID   18646130.