Jakarta, CNN Indonesia –
Until now, scientists are still studying the various clinical symptoms it causes corona virus the cause of Covid-19. Like one of them mouth dryness which was touted as a new symptom Covid-19.
In recent times, a number of patients have reported several new symptoms. A recent report from the National Institute of Health (NIH) says about half of patients experience these symptoms.
One of them is dry mouth which is also known as xerostomia. This condition is said to be an early symptom of Covid-19. Patients may experience these symptoms a few days before fever, sore throat, or other common symptoms.
“The body is unable to produce saliva to protect the mouth from pathogens. Patients will feel dryness and the saliva becomes thicker,” said internist consultant Samrat Shah, quoting The Indian Express.
About half of Covid-19 patients, the NIH study wrote, experience oral symptoms, including loss of taste, dry mouth, and mouth sores. However, it is unclear whether SARS-CoV-2 can directly infect and replicate in oral tissue.
It was previously known that the virus infects cells in the nose, upper respiratory tract and lungs. Recent research from the NIH found that the mouth, via infected cells, played a bigger role in these infections. The oral cavity and saliva are considered potential routes of entry of SARS-CoV-2.
“People with Covid-19 have higher levels of the virus in their saliva,” write the researchers.
Researchers suspect, in at least some cases, saliva that contains the virus may come from infected tissue in the mouth, not from the nasal passages or excreted by the lungs.
Responding to this, the Head of the Covid-19 Task Force of the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI) Zubairi Djoerban said that the symptoms of Covid-19 in the form of dry mouth had actually appeared since 2020. Zubairi explained, a study at the University of Florida Health Center Integrated Data in 2020 showed that 1,772 people with dry mouth, 9 percent of whom were diagnosed with Covid-19.
“So actually it’s not a new symptom. Symptoms of dry mouth in Covid-19 patients have been around since 2020,” Zubairi told CNNIndonesia.com, Monday (19/4).
There are several factors that underlie the appearance of dry mouth symptoms in corona virus patients. According to Zubairi, the first is because SARS-CoV-2 infection also attacks the salivary gland system. Due to the virus, saliva becomes scarce and difficult to produce.
“The Covid-19 virus infects the salivary glands, which can cause the mouth to become dry and saliva a little, and it turns out that now it can be proven that saliva contains the corona virus,” he said.
In addition, autoimmune reactions can also cause Covid-19 patients to experience dry mouth symptoms. Covid-19 patients with comorbids such as diabetes are also more likely to suffer from dry mouth symptoms.
Zubairi also said that the consumption of drugs used by Covid-19 patients could also be the cause of dry mouth.
“So dry mouth in Covid-19 patients can be caused by the virus directly infecting the salivary glands, secondly by autoimmune reactions, third by illness, fourth by drugs consumed,” he said.
He also added that both viruses that have not mutated or that have mutated can cause dry mouth symptoms in infected patients.
(mail/asr)
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