
There are several causes of glossitis, which include, environmental and infectious causes. This HealthHearty article mentions almost all the possible causes of the aforementioned infection. Take a look.
Lately, your tongue suddenly feels all swollen up and it has turned red like beef meat! You also cannot feel the rough side of your tongue anymore; it has become all smooth. Not only that, but you are also having problems while eating or speaking and sometimes you can also feel some tissue like substances in your mouth. Well! These could be the symptoms of glossitis. You are probably wondering, what glossitis is and what are the causes of this condition. Given below are the answers to your questions.
Common Causes
Glossitis is a kind of tongue infection. Burns while eating hot food, or eating tobacco, deficiencies like vitamins and minerals, viral or even bacterial infections or use of certain medications, can lead to glossitis. In this case, the papillae, i.e., the finger like projections on the upper side of our tongue, are lost. What we are left with, is a smooth, red tongue surface. Some health conditions and certain factors that could incite this condition, include:
- Certain ingredients in toothpastes, or mouth fresheners or mouth wash, etc.
- Deficiencies like iron, vitamin B, or certain problems like oral lichen planus or aphthous ulcers
- Bacterial or viral infection
- Burns or other injuries caused to the tongue
- Heredity
- Eating too much tobacco, or excessive smoking
Atrophic Glossitis
Atrophic glossitis is commonly seen in older people. They experience red tongue, swelling, and experience a burning sensation while eating or even while speaking.
- Lack of proper nutrition is an important cause of this infection. If your body lacks vitamins B12 or riboflavin, or iron, then it often leads to atrophic glossitis.
- Secondly, if your tongue keeps getting rubbed against a rough surface such as a denture or a sharp tooth, it may experience glossitis infection.
- Yeast infection such as oral thrush, also causes atrophic glossitis.
- If the immune system is weak, then it encourages the growth of yeast over the tongue, which results in a white tongue.
- The infection can be treated with medications. Hence, if you find the above-mentioned signs and symptoms, then visit a doctor immediately.
- This infection is common in the third world countries where many people suffer from malnutrition.
Migratory Glossitis
Due to the irregular patches on the tongue, making it almost look like a world map, this disease is also called the ‘geographic tongue’. Some, also call this condition as ‘benign migratory glossitis’.
- The causes of this glossitis is still not known. It might be due to vitamin B12 deficiency or maybe because of a yeast infection, which occurs due to a weakened immune system.
- This kind of infection is very painful and often, when you eat hot and spicy food, it hurts a lot.
Median Rhomboid Glossitis
It is a kind of fungal infection that causes small areas of smooth tongue tissues, specifically in the middle back of the tongue. Itching and burning sensation, are the common symptoms associated with this infection. Doctors opt for certain antifungal medications for the treatment of this infection.
Although there are certain causes of glossitis that are involuntary, we can still control other causes such as tobacco, excessive smoking, unhealthy diet, etc., to prevent its occurrence.