Bad Breath Can Be a Symptom of Poor Health

Sometimes bad breath is not just what you had for dinner, or when you last flossed your teeth. Health problems can actually be the source of bad breath, and if that is the case, the afflicted person may not be able to do much about the odor.

There are all types of health concerns and disease, which can affect the breath, and that, actually was once a factor, which helped doctors to diagnose some ailments. The air in the lungs can even help to diagnose a cause of death. For instance, a person who has been poisoned by arsenic will smell of bitter almonds.

Ailments, which affect the breath, can often range in seriousness from a simple case of the flu to deadly disease. For instance, post nasal drip, or catarrh drains from the sinuses and nasal passages and down the back of the throat. Tonsil infections, throat infections, bronchitis, sinus problems or pneumonia all encourage bacterial growth, which results in bad breath.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease, which is the chronic reflux of stomach acids, can cause bad breath. Lung disease or abscesses on the lungs can result in foul smelling breath. Sometimes, specific diseases can cause the person on emit a very distinct odor on their breath. People who are suffering from kidney failure have an odor that is not unlike urine. And those who are suffering from liver failure have a “fishy” odor. People who have diabetes very often have rather fruity smelling breath. Cancer patients may also have a distinctive breath odor. A person’s breath may also be a clue to an eating disorder.

So, while bad breath can very often annoy us or cause us to be upset with others, it can alert us to what is going on with our own bodies. And it may provide insight to the lives of those around us, if we are paying attention.