Strawberry tongue is a health condition in which the upper surface of the tongue becomes red and has a bumpy appearance due to inflammation of the tongue papillae (taste buds). Its name is derived because of the similarities in colour and texture between the tongue and the strawberry fruit.
This ailment is actually caused
by some underlying health diseases, so it can most appropriately be regarded to
as a symptom of such diseases.
Some of the diseases that cause
strawberry tongue are:
Scarlet fever: If the person is a child and probably has
some other symptoms like high fever, chills, sore throat, etc, he/she might
have scarlet fever. Scarlet fever is a disease caused by infection of the
bacteria Streptococcus pyogenes
Vitamin
deficiencies: When the body
lacks some essential vitamins such as vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamine) and folic
acid, strawberry tongue could result
Toxic Shock
Syndrome (TSS): This is another
bacterial infection (caused by the bacterial species Streptococcus pyogenes or
Staphylococcus aureus) that has strawberry tongue as one if its symptoms. Other
symptoms of Toxic shock syndrome are fever, low blood pressure, rash etc
Geographic
tongue: This condition is known as Benign
migratory glossitis or simply glossitis. It is named for the map-like pattern
of reddish spots that develop on the
tongue’s surface. Sometimes the patterns have a white border around them and
their location on the tongue may shift with time. Strawberry tongue could also
be an aftermath of glossitis.
Kawasaki disease: This is another cause of strawberry tongue in
children. It causes other symptoms like enlarged lymph nodes, rash, eye inflammation,
high fever, redness and swelling of the hand, feet, mouth and nose.
Treatment of strawberry tongue most
often requires treating the underlying disease so as to have a long-lasting
effect.
Simple treatment procedures are:
- Administering
aspirin to help reduce fever, pain and inflammation of the tongue
- During the first
5 days, when the strawberry tongue is most severe, lemon juice should be a
major part of your diet. This helps to provide the body with vitamins
- Gargle the mouth
with warm water containing common salt. This should be done first thing in the
morning and last thing at night, and the water should be at least a litre
- While washing the
mouth, avoid letting the toothbrush scratch the tongue. Also avoid the use of
mouthwashes as they might worsen the ailment
· - Do not touch or
scratch the tongue unnecessarily
· - Drink enough
water so as to help rehydrate your mouth. This is one of the best home remedies
for strawberry tongue
· - It is best to
take in more liquid foods than solid foods so as to hasten the healing process.
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