Risk factors and serum parameters associated with xerostomia in cardiac patients – a case-control study

Abstract

Introduction: Xerostomia is not a disease in itself but is caused by a change in the amount or composition of saliva or both. Some systemic diseases and the use of some medicines cause this complaint. Aim: Considering the high prevalence of cardiac diseases, the present study aimed to examine risk factors and serum parameters associated with xerostomia among hospitalized cardiac patients. Material and methods: In this case-control study, 369 hospitalized cardiac patients were divided into two groups (with and without xerostomia) using a valid FOX questionnaire. Demographic information and laboratory analysis results were extracted from the subjects’ medical records. Finally, data were ana-lyzed using SPSS v. 24 software at a significance level of 0.05. Results and discussion: According to the findings, 187 (50.7%) patients were suffering from xerostomia, whose prevalence was significantly higher in patients with a history of hypertension (P = 0.017) and thrombocytosis (P = 0.023). However, no significant relationship was observed between xerostomia and other serum parameters. Conclusions: Xerostomia is associated with a history of hypertension and the use of certain medications, such as nitroglycerin. Other serum parameters seem to be unrelated to xerostomia, except thrombocytosis. Therefore, it is recommended to check the quantity and quality of saliva to evaluate the presence of hyposalivation along with xerostomia more accurately.