Numb lips - the main causes and treatment

Numbness of the lips - a phenomenon that has the medical name "paresthesia". This symptom is often ignored, since it practically does not bring any discomfort. But, if it manifests itself systematically, you should consult a doctor, because this can talk about some problems in the body. Below we consider the main factors that cause numbness of the lips, as well as ways to get rid of this symptom.

The main factors causing numbness of the lips

Avitaminosis
Perhaps the most harmless reason why the lips go numb is a lack of vitamins B. These elements are biocatalysts responsible for the functioning of the central nervous system, so when they are not enough, numbness of the lips may occur.

This primarily refers to vitamin B12, but the same phenomenon can occur due to a deficiency of other trace elements. If the body has an insufficient amount of vitamin B1, numbness of different parts of the body and a decrease in muscle tone can be observed. A lack of vitamin B12 often causes paresthesia and is sometimes accompanied by hair loss. A lack of vitamin B6 causes seizures. To restore the sensitivity of the lips with paresthesia, you should visit a general practitioner who, when confirming the diagnosis of vitamin deficiency, will prescribe a suitable vitamin complex.

Osteochondrosis
It seems strange the relationship between the loss of sensitivity of the lips and a disease such as osteochondrosis. This disease is a degenerative progressive lesion of the intervertebral disc in the cervical spine. Vessels and nerve bundles localized in the upper spine are pinched much more often. And, since it is in this area that there are vessels that are responsible for the flow of blood to the brain and regulate the sensitivity of facial nerves, osteochondrosis of this area is in most cases the cause of loss of sensitivity of the lips and other parts of the face.

In addition to this symptom, regular migraines, backache, pain in the chest, shoulders and back, impaired vision and hearing, crunching while turning the head can indicate osteochondrosis. In this case, the patient may be prescribed drug therapy or surgery. However, mainly for treatment they resort to massage and physiotherapy exercises.

Food Nerve Neuritis
The disease is an inflammatory nerve lesion, accompanied by numbness of the lips, paralysis of facial facial muscles, malaise. Depending on the site of the nerve that affected the pathological process, it is observed:

• paresthesia of the lower or upper lip;
• weakening of the facial muscles;
• strabismus;
• hearing impairment;
• taste disorders;
• problems with salivation;
• tearing;
• painful sensitivity to sounds and other symptoms.

The development of the disease occurs gradually. As a rule, pain is first formed behind the auricle, and after some time, asymmetry of the face occurs. The disease is characterized by a weakening of the facial muscles. When the patient's lips go numb, when trying to smile or put his mouth in the form of a tube, he experiences difficulties, then, most likely, this is a sign of neuritis.

Therapy of this disease includes glucorticoids, vitamin complexes, as well as drugs that relieve edema and dilate blood vessels. In some cases, neuritis is a secondary symptom that develops against the background of another disease. Basically, these are herpes, meningitis and other infectious diseases caused by viruses.In such a situation, therapy should be aimed at eliminating the underlying disease, due to this, paresthesia will also disappear.

Numb chin syndrome
It happens that the lips go numb due to a phenomenon called the "symptom of a numb chin." Its development in some cases occurs against the background of systemic diseases or metastatic neoplasms. However, the most common cause of this syndrome is local oral diseases.

In addition to paresthesia of the lips, the patient may feel numbness of the lower jaw and gums. Another name for such a neuralgic clinical manifestation is “chin nerve neuropathy”. Therapy in this case depends on the nature of the disease that caused the syndrome.

Hypoglycemic syndrome
A condition called hypoglycemia means a decrease in the level of glucose in the blood of a person below the norm, which is 3.3-5.5 mmol / L. One of the clinical manifestations of this phenomenon is considered paresthesia of the lips and tongue. The development of hypoglycemic syndrome occurs gradually, while important body systems are affected.

At the initial stage, the patient has a feeling of hunger, migraine, nervousness, changeable mood. Then - increased sweating, tremors, abnormal aggression, hunger. Perhaps an increase in muscle tone, the development of seizures, dilated pupils, increased pressure, loss of consciousness. At the last stage, the patient may fall into a coma. A complication of hypoglycemia, which poses a serious threat to human health and life, is cerebral edema. The development of this syndrome most often occurs in diabetics when the dosage of insulin is exceeded, increased physical activity, prolonged abstinence from food, the use of alcoholic beverages on an empty stomach.

Hypertensive crisis
Lips may go numb due to hypertensive crisis. However, in such a situation, in addition to numbness of the lips, other clinical manifestations arise, which include:

• the appearance of shortness of breath;
• headache;
• a sharp increase in pressure;
• pain in the chest;
• cramps
• loss of consciousness;
• vomiting
• paralysis.

Hypertensive crisis is an extremely dangerous condition, especially if the patient has a history of heart disease and brain pathology. If you suspect a similar condition, you should immediately call an ambulance, because only paramedics will be able to stop the attack using antihypertensive drugs.

Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic autoimmune pathology in which the myelin sheath of the nerve fibers of the brain and spinal cord is affected. The disease is accompanied by neurological clinical manifestations. Some patients may feel numbness of the limbs, staggering when moving, others eventually lose their vision, experience difficulty breathing.

Paresthesia is also a fairly common clinical manifestation in multiple sclerosis. Some patients have numb lips and chin. However, as a rule, the main symptom is nevertheless motor disturbances that alternately appear and disappear. Therapy of the disease includes the administration of hormone-containing drugs, plasmacytosis, symptomatic treatment, the use of immunosuppressive, immunomodulating agents, etc.

Glossalgia
This is a neuro-dental pathological condition, which is manifested by the appearance of pain in the tongue, while no morphological disorders are observed. In most cases, glossalgia occurs in middle-aged women. Various factors can cause the appearance of this disease, from injuring the mucous membranes to failures in the blood circulation.

In some cases, the development of the disease occurs against the background of pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract and impaired functioning of the endocrine system. In addition, stressful situations, excessive fatigue, psychological trauma can be factors that can provoke diseases.

Allergies, dental diseases
It happens that numbness of the lips occurs as a result of an allergic reaction to certain foods. In addition, tooth loss can cause tooth loss. Along with this, this symptom may also appear as a result of the formation of shingles on the skin of the face. In addition to paresthesia, there are other symptoms - burning sensations in the neck and chin. In this case, you must immediately visit a medical facility. Specialists to be contacted are therapist and dermatologist.

In addition, numbness of the lips can be a consequence of the treatment of a dental disease. For example, after tooth extraction or surgery on the gums. In this situation, this can happen if the doctor during treatment affects the nerve endings located in the tongue, as a result of which he may lose sensitivity for some time. Sometimes damage to nerve endings can be very severe, then discomfort will accompany the person for a long time.

Numbness of the lip is provoked by a violation of the blood supply, in this case, the doctor conducts a detailed analysis of the medications prescribed to the patient and, if necessary, gives a referral for a blood test.

Treatment

For the treatment of paresthesia, the probability of neurological and dental diseases should be excluded first of all, and the cause of the phenomenon should be eliminated. To relieve pain, you need to use local anesthetic drugs. If numbness of the lips is an independent symptom, then iron-containing agents should be used for treatment.

If the cause of this condition is osteochondrosis, the therapy is carried out using drugs, massage and therapeutic physical exercises.

Treatment for neuritis involves the use of glucocorticoids, vitamin complexes and vasodilator drugs.

When numbness of the lips appears due to viral diseases, it is necessary to cure the underlying disease.

For the treatment of multiple sclerosis, in which the lips are numb, hormonal, immunomodulatory and other drugs are used. Such therapy will help get rid of this disease and relieve its accompanying symptoms.

If the lips go numb due to an allergy, then first of all it is necessary to identify the allergen. As a rule, food, some drugs become the cause of an allergic reaction. In this case, antihistamines will be prescribed to the patient.

Despite the fact that a symptom such as numbness of the lips may seem like a harmless problem, you should not leave it unattended. You should not be too lazy and visit a medical institution to find out the cause of this condition and begin the necessary treatment.

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