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What Causes Excessive Drooling With The History Of Mycardial Infarction?
Question: I am asking about a man in his seventies who is conscious of his drooling but does not consult a M.D.
He had a Myocardial Infarction in 1991 and has taken care of his self since that time.Thank You.he is on Coumadin,Lipotor,
aspirin,and Vasotec.
he does seem self conscious about this and his age and I have been reluctant
to bring this up.He does bike ride daily and play Bridge with friends.
How do I approach this ? Thank You XXXXXXX
He had a Myocardial Infarction in 1991 and has taken care of his self since that time.Thank You.he is on Coumadin,Lipotor,
aspirin,and Vasotec.
he does seem self conscious about this and his age and I have been reluctant
to bring this up.He does bike ride daily and play Bridge with friends.
How do I approach this ? Thank You XXXXXXX
Brief Answer:
I would explain as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Welcome and thank you for asking on HCM!
I carefully passed through your question and would explain that excessive drooling is not related to the past myocardial infarct or any of the drugs he is taking actually.
You should know that excessive drooling at his age could be related to different causes:
- overproduction of the saliva from the salivary glands
- impaired neuromuscular control with dysfunctional voluntary oral motor activity that leads to an overflow of saliva from the mouth. This could be related to inefficient and infrequent swallowing, an enlarged tongue or tongue thrusting with poor control, etc..
- dental caries and infection and diseased gingival tissues with gingivitis
I would recommend consulting with a dentist first, to examine his teeth and mouth tissues, to exclude possible dental or gingival causes.
An ENT specialist consult would help examine his nasopharinx for possible adenoid hypertrophy, which can lead to troubles with swallowing the saliva.
An neurological examination for the cranial nerves would help exclude possible neurological disorders, which could lead to excessive drooling.
The possible treatment options for excessive drooling would be:
- medical treatment: transdermal scopolamine for short periods. But this therapy should be used with caution, because of possible adverse effects in elderly patients.
- botulinum toxin injections
- surgery of salivary glands.
You should discuss with his doctor on these options.
Hope to have been helpful!
Greetings!
Dr. Iliri
I would explain as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Welcome and thank you for asking on HCM!
I carefully passed through your question and would explain that excessive drooling is not related to the past myocardial infarct or any of the drugs he is taking actually.
You should know that excessive drooling at his age could be related to different causes:
- overproduction of the saliva from the salivary glands
- impaired neuromuscular control with dysfunctional voluntary oral motor activity that leads to an overflow of saliva from the mouth. This could be related to inefficient and infrequent swallowing, an enlarged tongue or tongue thrusting with poor control, etc..
- dental caries and infection and diseased gingival tissues with gingivitis
I would recommend consulting with a dentist first, to examine his teeth and mouth tissues, to exclude possible dental or gingival causes.
An ENT specialist consult would help examine his nasopharinx for possible adenoid hypertrophy, which can lead to troubles with swallowing the saliva.
An neurological examination for the cranial nerves would help exclude possible neurological disorders, which could lead to excessive drooling.
The possible treatment options for excessive drooling would be:
- medical treatment: transdermal scopolamine for short periods. But this therapy should be used with caution, because of possible adverse effects in elderly patients.
- botulinum toxin injections
- surgery of salivary glands.
You should discuss with his doctor on these options.
Hope to have been helpful!
Greetings!
Dr. Iliri
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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