Bad breath is often associated with poor oral hygiene or the foods and drinks you consume. However, this condition can also signal other health conditions, ranging from mild to serious. Read the explanation below to learn about various medical conditions that can be indicated by bad breath.

Health Conditions Indicated by Bad Breath

Bad breath can be caused by many factors, such as specific foods and beverages consumption or inadequate oral hygiene. Recent research also suggests that evaluating breath odor may help detect stomach cancer at an early stage. In addition to stomach cancer, bad breath can point to several other health conditions.

Here are some diseases frequently associated with bad breath:

Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is usually diagnosed with CT scans and biopsies. A recent study, however, found that breath analysis could serve as a method to help detect lung cancer.

In that study, patients exhaled into a special device that analyzed the breath sample. Of 128 respondents, the device correctly identified 114 lung cancer patients and misdiagnosed only five respondents.

As technology advances, the device’s accuracy continues to improve, making it a promising option for early lung cancer detection in the future.

Heart Failure

A simple breath test may also help identify heart diseases, including severe heart failure. In people with heart failure, levels of certain compounds, such as acetone and pentane, tend to increase in exhaled air. Patients with heart failuer produce a characteristic fruity breath odor.

Diabetes Complications

Poorly controlled diabetes can increase the risks of bad breath. High blood sugar levels make people with diabetes more prone to gum disease, dry mouth, and oral infections that can cause bad breath.

In severe diabetes, complications like diabetic ketoacidosis can develop, a condition in which the body uses fat as its energy source and produces ketone compounds. Ketone buildup will cause patient's breath to smell fruity, with similar smell to acetone. If patients do not receive prompt care, excessively acidic blood can lead to coma or even death.

GERD

GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), or acid reflux, occurs when stomach acid repeatedly flows back into the throat. This can interfere with digestion in the stomach, so food is not fully broken down. Retained food residues can decay and cause bad breath.

Kidney Failure

Bad breath with a fishy or ammonia-like odor may indicate an impaired kidney function. The kidneys play a key role in filtering toxins and waste products from the blood and eliminating them through urine. In kidney failure, these organs cannot work properly, which allows toxins to accumulate and affect multiple organ systems.

This buildup can cause a characteristic breath odor in people with kidney failure, especially once kidney disease begins to affect the respiratory system.

Sleep apnea

Having bad breath when you wake up is common. However, in people with sleep apnea or sleep disorders such as snoring, this can happen more often. This occurs because they tend to breathe through the mouth while sleeping, which dries the oral cavity and produces an unpleasant odor.

Bad breath is not always the result of poor oral hygiene; it can also be a sign of specific health conditions. If you notice unusually persistent bad breath, you should consult a doctor to determine the cause and receive appropriate treatment.

You can also use the consultation feature in the Ai Care app, which you can download from the App Store or Play Store.

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