Purple lips. Why does the upper and lower lip turn blue?

It is known that when hypothermia occurs, the skin of an adult acquires a blue tint, and almost everyone knows about this fact. But if it changes its color, without visible reasons this is an alarming sign and indicates health problems. In the language of professionals similar phenomenon is called "cyanosis". Blue lips are not a temporary effect; you should not think that it will go away on its own after a while.

If the symptoms described below appear along with bluish skin, you should urgently consult a specialist:

• The heart is beating faster;
• Nails turn blue;
• Feeling of lack of air;
• High body temperature or fever;
• A cough appears.

Reason blue lips can become a long stay in the cold

First of all, it is worth finding out what causes blue lips and, in general, why do lips turn blue in an adult?

• Long stay in the cold. Circulating blood through the vessels gives the skin a pink tint. When the body becomes hypothermic, the body's resources are redistributed in order to warm up internal organs. The vessels that carry blood to the extremities (including the lips) narrow from the cold, causing blood flow to decrease. For this reason, the skin becomes blue and the lips lose sensitivity. This is why lips turn blue. In order to restore blood circulation, return normal skin tone and provide the body necessary substances Warmth is needed. As soon as the lips acquire a pink color again, it can be considered that the work of everyone internal systems restored.
• Also, the question “why do a person’s lips turn blue” can be answered with information about a lack of oxygen. It is promoted by such a bad habit as smoking. Fasting occurs from the effects of toxic gases on the body, which are released when a cigarette smolderes. But worst option lack of oxygen can be a disease of cardio-vascular system. Doctors call skin cyanosis hypoxemia or in another way low level oxygen in the blood. The disease got its name from the ancient Greek word “dark blue”, since its main symptom is cyanosis of the lips, skin and mucous membranes. Lips darken due to the fact that during a lack of oxygen in the blood, the level of hemoglobin decreases.
• Anemia due to iron deficiency is another reason why lips turn blue in an adult. Iron, which enters the body with food, helps form hemoglobin, the level of which determines the pink tint of the skin. If a person has an unnatural pale skin and lips with a characteristic purple hue, most likely the problem is a lack of iron in the body. Low amounts of iron-containing protein may not be affected by poor nutrition, this can also be caused by excessive blood loss. Heavy blood loss means copious discharge during critical days, opening of an ulcer or severe injuries that led to rupture of blood vessels.
• If the pulse is increased, there is a problem with breathing and the lips change their color from pink to purple, then the functions of the lungs or heart are impaired. Blueness of the skin and a purple tint in the corners of the mouth may be associated with a heart attack, with the appearance of a blood clot in the blood vessels lung tissue, with diseases that are accompanied by a lack of air, such as asthma, pneumonia or bronchitis. If these symptoms occur, you should urgently call emergency medical help.
• In the case where a child suffers severe barking cough, which is accompanied by a sharp blueing of the lips, is required urgent help pediatrician To save the child’s life, immediate hospitalization is necessary, since diseases associated with the respiratory system cause severe croup in children. They begin to complain of breathing problems or a feeling of tightness in the throat. In order to help a child, you should not use funds traditional medicine, let better doctor will give his recommendations.
• Raynaud's disease is also the answer to the question “why does it turn blue?” underlip" A sharp drop in temperature, severe stress, overvoltage - all this contributes to the fact that small vessels cannot withstand and burst. Therefore, a change in color in some parts of the body or skin indicates that blood metabolism is disrupted, and the body itself is trying to bring it back to normal.

A child may have blue lips dangerous symptom diseases in the body

How to find out why a child's lower lip turns blue? If his body or face turns blue, immediate diagnosis and treatment is necessary, as cyanosis may indicate dangerous problem with his health. Blue lips are one of the most important symptoms of central cyanosis, but temporary blueness of the skin around the mouth while the child is crying or eating is not dangerous. This effect may also be caused increased activity in a child or an outburst of anger. In such situations, only the skin around the lips becomes blue, and not the lips themselves, while the pink tint should remain on the tongue and oral mucosa.

By carefully examining the child's nails, lips and tongue, you can find out whether a given case of cyanosis is dangerous or not. Their pink tint indicates that the child has colorectal cyanosis and there is no need to be afraid, but if they acquire Blue colour– emergency medical assistance is urgently needed.

We need to find out the cause of blue lips

When people's lower or upper lips turn blue, it is necessary to find out what is causing this and begin to eliminate the cause.

The first step is to ensure enough level warmth to your body. To do this, you need to use a warm blanket in which you can wrap yourself or put on warm clothes. Restoring blood circulation in this way will ensure that it flows freely to the limbs and lips and their normal color will return.

Hot drinks also help cope with this problem. But not all of them work the same. For example, coffee, on the contrary, constricts blood vessels due to a substance acting on the body, which is called “caffeine”.

Can increase vascular tone and make blood circulate faster physical exercise in intensive mode. Gymnastic exercises, as well as running or jumping, bring body temperature back to normal.

Smoking is a bad habit, and getting rid of it also helps solve this problem. The narrowing of blood vessels, and as a result the decrease in body temperature, depends on the natural flow of oxygen into the blood. Smoke from tobacco and the nicotine present in cigarettes have a negative effect on it.

If, along with blue lips, other symptoms appear negative symptoms described at the beginning of the article, and they are not associated with bad habits or long stay in the cold, you must urgently seek help from medical worker. Having found out the reason why the corners of an adult’s lips turn blue, he will prescribe the appropriate treatment.

Blue skin or lips usually indicate low oxygen levels in the blood or poor circulation.

When there is a lack of oxygen, the blood darkens, causing the skin to take on a blue tint. The scientific name for this phenomenon is cyanosis. In people with dark skin Cyanosis is more noticeable on the lips, gums and around the eyes.

If blue discoloration is observed on the skin of the fingers, tip of the nose, lips, ears or turns blue nasolabial triangle- the area between the nose and upper lip and chin, they talk about acrocyanosis - blue discoloration of the parts of the body furthest from the heart. This happens more often when there is a circulatory disorder. If your entire skin turns blue, we're talking about about general (diffuse) cyanosis, which more often happens with a lack of oxygen: suffocation or bad work lungs.

IN in rare cases it is possible that the skin may turn blue in a separate area, for example, on one finger. The reason for this change may be thrombosis (blockage) of a blood vessel or its sharp narrowing, which happens, for example, with Raynaud's syndrome.

Cyanosis in adults- is always a reason to see a doctor. If an adult’s lips quickly become blue, skin cyanosis increases, or the nasolabial triangle turns blue, difficulty breathing, chest pain, weakness, general malaise, or others suddenly appear. alarming symptoms, should be called ambulance by calling from landline phone 03, from mobile 112 or 911.

Slowly developing cyanosis usually indicates a chronic heart or lung disease - in this case, you should consult a doctor yourself as soon as possible, and if feeling unwell- call a doctor at home. So, for example, the gradual turning blue of the fingers or toes, hands and feet also indicates a circulatory disorder, which happens in many chronic diseases heart and lungs.

Cyanosis in children- always talks about dangerous condition. In infants, the nasolabial triangle often turns blue. If your child's skin turns blue, you should call an ambulance or go to the emergency department of the nearest hospital yourself. The following symptoms also indicate danger:

• shortness of breath - the child breathes more often than usual, flares his nostrils, strains his chest muscles with each inhalation or exhalation;
• the child sits bent over;
• groans when breathing;
• the baby is lethargic, detached from others, inactive;
• eat poorly or refuse to eat;
• the child seems irritated.

The main causes of cyanosis (blue discoloration of the skin and lips)

The most common causes of cyanosis are described below, however the information contained in this article should not be used to self-diagnosis- for this you need to consult a doctor.

Lung dysfunction:

• thrombus in pulmonary artery(pulmonary embolism);
• exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or bronchial asthma;
• drowning or long stay under the water;
• being on high altitude above sea level - mountain (altitude) sickness;
• severe pneumonia.

Airway obstruction:

• bronchiectasis, in which areas of the bronchi expand in the form of pouches, sputum stagnates in them and infections often occur;
• holding your breath;
• choking - read what to do if a person chokes;
• croup - inflammation of the upper respiratory tract in children, for example, with diphtheria or viral infections when the lumen of the trachea or bronchi narrows sharply;
• epiglottitis - inflammation and swelling of the epiglottis - a mucocartilaginous valve that separates the esophagus and trachea;
• convulsions that do not stop for a long time, for example, with tetanus.

Heart dysfunction:

• heart failure, in which the heart does not provide adequate blood flow to the organs and tissues of the body;
• congenital heart disease - a defect in the heart in which low-oxygen blood from the right ventricle flows directly into the left, bypassing the lungs, can lead to cyanosis;
• heart failure.

Other causes of cyanosis:

• overdose medicines(narcotics, benzodiazepines or sedatives);
• exposure to cold water or air;
• blood disorders, such as low hemoglobin (the blood cannot carry enough oxygen) or polycythemia ( high concentration red blood cells - red blood cells in the blood).

Which doctor should I contact if I have cyanosis?

If your condition and health remain satisfactory and there is no need for emergency medical care, consult a therapist. The doctor will prescribe a minimal examination to find out the cause of the change in skin and lip color. Depending on the results of the examination, the doctor will send you for a consultation with a cardiologist - if possible problems with the heart and blood vessels or a pulmonologist - to exclude diseases of the lungs and respiratory tract. By following the links, you can choose a doctor yourself using the NaPravku service.

Lips are an indicator of human health. The change in their color indicates malfunction internal organs and the development of various diseases. Blue lips are a sign of diseases such as lack of oxygen in the body, asthma, frostbite, anemia, and diseases of the cardiovascular system. With such pathologies, the help of a specialist is necessary.

Blue lips - serious reason consult a doctor

Description of the problem

Blue lips are a sign of diseases that communicate their existence by changing color. The reason lies in the insufficient amount of oxygen in the blood and the accumulation of deoxyhemoglobin.

This problem is called cyanosis - a symptom of various diseases. If the blood lacks the right amount of oxygen, it darkens. You can notice the darkening through the skin, especially in those parts of the body where its layer is thin.

Forms of cyanosis

Specialists distinguish 2 forms of cyanosis.

1. Central. It gives a person a bright blue color of the lips and cheeks. Symptoms appear due to failures in the movement of blood in the human body. Carbonic anhydride accumulates in the blood in a high volume.
2. Peripheral. It slows down the passage of blood in the capillaries, and the number carbon dioxide increases in the body. The connection between the venous and arterial blood, after which breathing quickens.

Doctors distinguish short-term and continuous cyanosis. For the first option, the appearance of cyanosis is associated with severe hypothermia or a large number physical exercise. For the second option - with the presence of pathologies in the cardiovascular and respiratory systems.

Possible factors

If a person's lips begin to darken, there may be several reasons for this. If such a problem is discovered, then this is a reason to contact a specialist. Let's try to figure out what the reasons are and what the consequences are.

Prolonged exposure to cold

The blood that circulates through the vessels gives the skin a pinkish tint. When the body freezes, the body's capabilities are rebuilt to warm up all organs. The vessels through which blood passes to the legs, arms and lips become smaller from the cold, therefore the flow of blood is reduced. This reason gives the skin a dark color.

Lack of oxygen in the body

Often lips are blue due to lack of air in the body. There are several reasons for oxygen starvation.

1. Full or partial absence air. This is due to negative habits- Smoking reduces the flow of oxygen in the lungs. Presence foreign object in the respiratory system leads to fainting and complete blockage of air.
2. Prolonged lying down creates oxygen stagnation in the lungs. This reason applies to bedridden patients. The phlegm collects in the lungs and cannot be expelled. The patient is sanitized by a bronchoscope.
3. Often after surgical intervention the patient's lips turn blue - this is how anesthesia affects the lungs.

Asthma

With this disease, a person often lacks air. Asthma inflames the bronchi and trachea, resulting in an attack of bronchospasm. Little air enters the body, the muscles tense, and the abundant blood flow makes not only the lips, but also the neck and face of the asthmatic blue.

Asthmatics prone to blue lips

Lack of iron in the blood

Blue lips may be due to a small amount of iron in the blood. In this case, the production of hemoglobin, which is responsible for complexion, is disrupted. This disease is called anemia.

The person feels tired, the color of the skin, nails and lips changes. The disease cannot begin to develop on its own. It becomes active after injuries, severe blood loss and poor nutrition. Put correct diagnosis on initial stage it is impossible because there is no clinical picture diseases. To determine the disease, it is enough for a person to donate blood. Treatment is prescribed after examination.

Poor functioning of the heart and blood vessels

Often the appearance of blue color on the lips occurs due to heart failure, but first a person needs to undergo a thorough diagnosis. The heart is unable to give to the body and tissues the right number blood. People who have had a heart defect since birth always have blue lips. This occurs due to damage in the organ, as low-oxygen blood passes from one ventricle to another and does not reach the lungs. They darken when the heart stops.

Causes of illness in children

If a child’s lips and face begin to turn blue, this is a sign of the development of serious pathologies. Changing lip color indicates central shape cyanosis. When the skin turns blue around the lips when a baby is crying or feeding, this is not a dangerous phenomenon. This result can occur due to the baby being very energetic or having a fit of anger. In this condition, the skin acquires a blue tint not only in the lip area, but throughout the body, and the tongue and oral cavity remain pink.

Parents need to carefully examine the child’s feet, hands, tongue and nails, after which they can understand whether this form is dangerous to the child’s health or not. Pink color says that the child has cyanosis in the mouth area. When the color begins to darken, you urgently need to call an ambulance.

Symptoms

Cyanosis is a symptom of various diseases. It is characterized by blue discoloration of the lips, neck, mouth and other parts of the body.

There may also be the following symptoms:

• cough and shortness of breath;
• chest pain;
• increased body temperature;
• hemoptysis;
• blueness of the corners of the mouth and nose;
• distortion of nails and fingers.

If your fingers are also blue, you should immediately go to the hospital

If you have these symptoms, you should immediately go to the hospital. The doctor examines the patient, determines the disease and prescribes medications for treatment. In case of blue lips appearing due to problems with respiratory tract the person may need respiratory resuscitation.

First aid

If you experience severe blue lips, shortness of breath, dizziness, vomiting and rapid heartbeat, you need to call the hospital and see a doctor. Before the ambulance arrives, the patient is given first aid. To allow air to flow, remove clothing from the throat, loosen the collar, and then sit the person in a comfortable position.

If a person feels very cold, they wrap him well, take a blanket, a blanket, and rub his arms and legs. The patient is given hot tea to drink, which will quickly increase body temperature. It is forbidden to drink hot coffee, as caffeine constricts blood vessels. Warm the body physical exercise, jumping, running, squats, after which vascular activity will increase, blood flow will normalize, and oxygen will flow to the tissues in the required quantity.

If a pregnant woman's lips begin to turn blue, she should consult a gynecologist. There is a possibility of developing anemia, in which self-medication is prohibited.

Conclusion

Any change in the color of the lips, the formation of spots on the skin, etc. should alert a person. It is impossible to immediately determine what blue lips mean. If you do not pay attention to such manifestations in the body, they will negatively affect the future health of a person.

Timely consultation with a doctor will help maintain health and prolong life. The right image life and balanced diet will prevent the development various diseases.

Lips can be called an indicator of health. A change in their color may indicate disturbances in the functioning of the body and the appearance of various diseases.

The lips are folds of muscle. On one side they are covered with skin, and on the other with mucous membrane. Inside they are covered with vessels that are visible under the skin and give the lips a red color. A change in color indicates a lack of oxygen saturation of the vessels. Cyanosis skin is called cyanosis.

Causes of cyanosis

• Hypothermia. The most common and relatively safe reason. When the body cools, blood is directed to the internal organs to warm them. Like some other parts of the body, blood vessels the lips narrow and blueness appears.
• Strong physical activity.
• Iron-deficiency anemia. Accompanied by unnatural pale skin, a feeling of dry mouth and general weakness. Occurs when there is excessive blood loss or poor nutrition, when few iron-containing foods are consumed. Lack of hemoglobin in the blood often occurs in pregnant women.

Photo 1: Many people believe that you can increase hemoglobin by eating red vegetables. In fact, foods high in iron include pork and beef liver, rabbit meat, chicken yolk, brewer's yeast, porcini mushrooms, pumpkin seeds, seaweed, lentils, buckwheat. Source: flickr (Andrey Alferov).

• Oxygen starvation due to circulatory disorders, altitude sickness, decreased gas exchange in the lungs in pathologies and other cases. Lips with hypoxemia acquire a dark blue, almost purple tint. This may cause dizziness, pale skin, and difficulty breathing.
• Raynaud's disease. Characterized by a gap small vessels with overexertion and stress.

Why does the lower or upper lip turn blue?

If a person's lower or only upper lip turns blue, this may indicate:

1. Disorders in the blood microcirculation system due to pathological disorders inside blood vessels or vascular walls. The cause of such failures often lies in the occurrence of inflammation or tumors inside the skin.
2. Injury to one of the lips as a result of a blow.
3. Unsatisfied sucking reflex in a baby. A baby can quickly fill up, but at the same time not have time to satisfy the sucking reflex. Then, instead of the mother's breast or pacifier, he begins to suck on the lower lip, which turns it blue.

Causes of blueness in the corners of the lips

The appearance of blue above the upper lip, in the corners of the lips or other areas of the nasolabial triangle can be caused by the following reasons:

• Problems with the cardiac or pulmonary system. Blueness around the mouth can be a sign of many diseases associated with a lack of oxygen: asthma, pneumonia, laryngitis, bronchitis. With these diseases, the entire nasolabial triangle turns blue.

Note! Sudden blueness of the lips, accompanied by holding your breath and increased heart rate, may be a sign heart attack. In such a situation, you should immediately call an ambulance.

Causes of blue area around the mouth in children

In addition to the above, children may have additional reasons blueness of the mouth area:

• Croup - dangerous disease, which occurs in some children under 4 years of age. It is accompanied by difficulty breathing and a “barking” cough.
• Long cry or crying of a child. In infants, when crying for a long time, the nasolabial triangle may turn blue.
• The presence of a foreign object in the respiratory tract.

Note! If, in addition to the lips, the child’s nails and tongue turn blue, you need to urgently call an ambulance.

What to do when your lips turn blue

If bluish lips appear, the following measures should be taken:

1. Dress warmly, wrap yourself in a blanket. If the cause of cyanosis is hypothermia, then after the body warms up, the lips will quickly acquire a natural color.
2. Pass general analysis blood. If a low hemoglobin level is detected, you need to adjust your diet and start taking iron supplements.
3. Do an ultrasound of the heart and a cardiogram.

Only a doctor can diagnose the cause of blue lips. After diagnosis, he will prescribe appropriate treatment and prescribe necessary medications. Homeopathic medicines will help speed up the healing process and solve the problem of bluish lips.

Homeopathic treatment for blue lips

Photo 2: To prevent the appearance of cyanosis, it is necessary to refuse bad habits, namely, from smoking. Nicotine constricts blood vessels, interfering with normal blood flow, which can result in blue lips. Source: flickr (Photo of Moscow Moscow-Live.ru).

Assign homeopathic treatment must . When making appointments, many factors are taken into account: starting from appearance the patient, ending with his reactions to certain stimuli. Treatment of diseases depends on the diagnosis and constitutional type of the patient.

For blue lips, the following homeopathic medicines are often used as additional or monotherapy:

1. Adrenalinum. Prescribed for patients whose blue lips are caused by strong emotional reactions, asthma, pulmonary diseases.
2. (Cuprum metallicum). Treats diseases causing spasms and seizures: epilepsy, asthma, meningitis and others. These diseases lead to difficulty breathing, causing discoloration of the lips.
3. Digitalis purpurea (Digitalis purpurea). Used for all diseases of the cardiovascular system, including causing change skin colors.
4. Acidum hydrocyanicum. Prescribed as a medicine for seizures, epilepsy, tetanus, cholera, shortness of breath, bronchial asthma. Helps normalize the color of the nasolabial triangle.

“Blue lips” are often found in people who have suffered from hypothermia. The most significant reason for this is bathing in cold water or just being in a pond for a long time. But this is the result of hypothermia and there is an explanation for this. But why do lips turn blue for no apparent reason?

Why do lips turn blue?

As they believe in medicine, nothing happens without a reason. And if the symptom of blue lips is present, then you need to urgently consult a doctor! With normal hypothermia in a person, blueness disappears over time, as soon as he warms up, blood circulation normalizes and the capillaries of the mucous membranes expand. Thus, the normal pink coloration of the skin is restored, and there is no reason for further concern.

The alarm should be sounded if blue lips are caused by:

• rapid heartbeat;
• difficulty breathing;
• elevated temperature;
• feeling of heat in chest;
• persistent cough;
• if lips and nails turn blue together.

Such signs require immediate assistance from a medical professional.

If everything is clear during hypothermia - the point is in the capillaries themselves, which narrow from the cold, and in normal temperature expand, and there is no danger, then other signs pose an undoubted threat to health.

Blue lips may indicate oxygen starvation - i.e. from inhaling toxic gases or vapors for a sufficiently long time, even from tobacco smoke. Oxygen starvation and, as a result, blue lips can be due to heart problems.

With hypoxemia, the oxygen level in the blood drops, hemoglobin is restored, its values ​​increase, causing pigmentation and a “blue” coloration of the lips. The disease itself is also called cyanosis of the skin in medicine (from the Greek “cyano” - deep blue), accompanied by a sharp bluing of the mucous membranes, including the lips and the surface of the skin (it becomes cyanotic-blue).

If the lips are constantly blue and the skin is unusually pale, one suspects iron deficiency anemia. This is a disease in which there is a lack of iron, necessary for the production of hemoglobin, which saturates circulatory system oxygen. Anemia occurs from poor nutrition (starvation), large blood loss (trauma, surgery, copious discharge on critical days, etc.).

What to do if your lips turn blue

If, against the background of general well-being, a person’s pulse begins to quicken, breathing is delayed or lost, or blue lips appear, then these are problems with cardiac dysfunction or respiratory system generally. An ordinary thrombus that has broken away from a vessel in the lung, a manifestation of a heart attack, bronchial asthma, a surge of pneumonia can cause a serious lack of oxygen in the body. If such a fact is present, be sure to call an ambulance and hospitalize the patient as soon as possible.

In pediatrics, blue lips are noted when severe forms various diseases. The child has difficulty breathing and complains of a lump in the throat and pain in the lips. These symptoms indicate serious illness, and in order to avoid an adverse outcome, immediate treatment in a hospital is required.