Normally, the tongue should be moderately pink, soft and well-defined with non-flattened papillae. There may be a small amount of clear or white coating after waking up in the morning, or it may become red or brown after eating coloring products. Pathological plaque in the tongue can be of different colors, from thick white to sticky black. And it should never be ignored. A similar symptom may indicate various problems: from malfunctions of internal organs to metabolic disorders and respiratory problems. Ekaterina Kashukh, a candidate of medical sciences, gastroenterologist of the Gemotest Laboratory, told socialbites.ca about this.
According to the expert, the color of the tongue often changes with infectious diseases. For example, with scarlet fever, an acute infection affecting the oropharynx, a dense gray-white or yellowish coating forms on the tongue. With diphtheria, gray-white films can be seen in the tongue. With candidiasis, curled plaques appear, which are difficult to remove even with a toothbrush.
“If a person has gastritis, stomach ulcers and other diseases of the digestive tract, their tongue may turn grayish-white. Plaque is usually localized in the posterior parts of the organ, but can sometimes cover the entire surface. In liver diseases, the metabolism of bile pigments, which are products of the breakdown of blood proteins, is disturbed. As a result, the soft tissues of the body, including the mucous membrane of the tongue, are painted in a characteristic yellow color,” said Ekaterina Kashukh.
Another reason why the tongue can change color is diabetes. This is a chronic disease in which the level of glucose in the blood rises. With diabetes, the tongue becomes drier, sometimes an orange-yellow rash appears on it, which is very itchy.
After an injury or a severe burn, the tongue may become bright red. Very pale – with iron deficiency anemia. As a rule, with this disease, the patient has other symptoms: weakness, dizziness, loss of appetite, tinnitus and excessive sweating.
“Patients are also faced with a change in the language with the so-called “geographical language”, or desquamative glossitis, as it is called in medicine, the formation of bright red foci with a white border, grooves and cracks on the body. language. Such foci can move from one area of u200bu200bthe language to another, ”explained the candidate of science.
The doctor noted that the causes of geographic tongue have not yet been conclusively determined. Some researchers have linked it to diseases such as psoriasis and lichen planus. It is also believed that the geographic tongue often appears in people whose relatives also have this feature, and in the owners of the so-called folded tongue – with this congenital anomaly, a person’s tongue has deep grooves, and it is thickened and enlarged.
“Also, the color of the tongue can be affected by aphthae – small sores covered with a gray or yellowish coating on top. Usually they hurt a lot, so when aphthae appear, you need to come to a dentist for a consultation, ”the gastroenterologist warned.
Formerly a dentist announcedmore threatening than a long absence of chewing teeth.