Bitter taste sensation can have various causes, ranging in severity from 'troubling' to 'generally fatal'. Finding the true cause means ruling out or confirming each possibility – in other words, diagnosis.
Diagnosis is usually a complex process due to the sheer number of possible causes and related symptoms. In order to diagnose bitter taste sensation, we could:
Cause | Probability | Status |
---|---|---|
Heartburn | 90% | Confirm |
Jaundice | 28% | Unlikely |
Liver Congestion | 25% | Unlikely |
Infectious Mononucleosis | 4% | Ruled out |
Malaria | 1% | Ruled out |
Pancreatic Cancer | 0% | Ruled out |
Diabetes II | 0% | Ruled out |
Hepatitis | 0% | Ruled out |
Do you ever have a bitter or sour taste in your mouth that is not caused by foods that you have eaten?
Possible responses:
→ No / rarely / don't know→ Yes, sometimes a slight bitter/sour taste → Yes, often slightly bitter / sometimes significant → Yes, often a significant bitter/sour taste |
The bitter taste experienced by a Diabetes patient may be due to diabetic damage to the tongue. This 'phantom taste' may last until blood sugar levels have been normalized for a long time.
Reflux of acid, bile and/or gastric juices into the esophagus may cause a sour or bitter taste.
Symptoms may include bad breath and bitter taste in the mouth.
Jaundice also suggests the following possibilities:
Jaundice is a yellowing of the skin and eyes that occurs when the diseased liver does not process enough bilirubin.
The gallbladder releases bile into the small intestines through a tube called the cystic duct, which connects to the bile duct. When gallstones are obstructing these ducts, bile builds up in the gallbladder and increases the concentration of a yellowish substance called bilirubin in the blood, causing a yellowing of the skin known as jaundice.
Malaria can cause jaundice through the loss of red blood cells.