Bad breath through the stomach

Definition

A daily persistent bad breath can have many different causes. One possible cause of many, but generally rather rare, can be the stomach. If oral hygiene, consisting of brushing teeth, the use of dental floss and interdental brushes, a tongue cleaner and a mouthwash, is carried out sufficiently and the bad breath is still present, the stomach can be a cause of bad breath. Bad breath can be a first symptom of a disease of the esophagus or gastrointestinal tract.

Causes

If the bad breath is not due to a lack of oral hygiene, but comes from the stomach, heartburn can be a common cause. In this so-called reflux disease (reflux of stomach contents) one has a sourish bad breath, because the stomach acid rises up the esophagus. Furthermore, possible esophageal diseases can be a reason for bad breath.

These include, for example, protrusions of the esophageal wall, so-called diverticula. Here, oesophageal debris can become entangled and, after remaining there for a long time, cause unpleasant bad breath originating from the oesophagus. However, tumor diseases, inflammations or a cramping of the esophageal sphincter (achalasia) can also be responsible for bad breath.

In order to make a diagnosis, one has to consult a doctor in case of persistent bad breath. In very rare cases, bad breath can also be a symptom of stomach cancer, a diaphragmatic hernia or foreign bodies in the digestive tract. In these cases, however, halitosis would never be the only symptom.

With bad breath, however, one does not always have to think of the worst. In the most common cases, bad breath is caused by a lack of oral hygiene. Only when this is done properly and the bad breath persists should you see a doctor to find out the cause.

People who smoke a lot or consume alcohol are often affected by an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the stomach. Both irritate the stomach mucosa. In addition, taking medication or acute food poisoning can also be the cause of inflammation of the mucous membrane of the stomach (=gastritis).

If the mucous membrane of the stomach is inflamed, symptoms such as bad breath, severe pain in the upper abdomen, a feeling of fullness or heartburn occur. Persistent bad breath may also be present in the case of stomach cancer. However, in most cases this is accompanied by other symptoms.

These include heartburn, stomach pain, fever or fatigue. The main risks of stomach cancer are smoking, excessive stress or a diet containing many smoked foods. In general, there are no or very few signs of stomach cancer. The diagnosis is made by means of a gastroscopy (= gastroscopy) and tissue samples.