Most often, the spots that appear on the tongue do not cause any alarm in a person. However, it should be borne in mind that such a phenomenon may indicate serious violations that have arisen in the work of various internal organs. That is why the formations that have arisen are so important to discern in a timely manner and begin to take the necessary measures.
Spots on the tongue can be of different shapes and colors. They vary in size and area of manifestation. Depending on the color of the zones that have arisen in the tongue, assumptions can be made about the presence of a latent disease. With the timely elimination of early symptoms, a person can prevent the development of the disease.
Attention to the problem
Very often spots on the tongue (see photo below) are the "first signs" of malfunctions in the functioning of the human body. But in order to take up the effective treatment of pathology, first of all, you need to find out the reasons that provoked this process.
Experts recommend examining the oral cavity regularly. If a person is he althy, then his tongue will have a pink color. It is not a pathology and a slight whitish coating.
Whichcases should a disease be suspected? The development of pathology will be indicated by a dense layer of plaque, on which spots of various colors will begin to stand out.
Sometimes the whitish coating of the tongue is the result of improper care of the oral cavity. In these cases, all that is required of a person is the correct cleaning of not only the teeth, but also the tongue. It is easy to get rid of plaque on it even if the problem is malnutrition.
If spots on the tongue have appeared and are not eliminated mechanically, the reasons for such formations should be carefully analyzed.
Localization
As mentioned above, the spots that appear on the tongue can be painted in a variety of shades. It is believed that the darker their color, the greater the risk to human he alth. The severity of a possible pathology can be indicated by the structure of the spot and its location on the tongue.
So, the darkening in the tip zone most likely indicates that a person needs to carefully consider his heart and blood vessels. A spot that appears in the area immediately after the tip indicates possible problems with the lungs. Education that has arisen in the center will warn of malfunctions in the functioning of the spleen. Spots immediately after this area will tell about kidney disease. A change in the color of the area closer to the root of the tongue will warn about the pathology of the intestine. If a person noticed spots on the side, then he should check the condition of the gallbladder and liver. You will also need to pay attention to the color of these formations.
Red spots in adults
The reasons for their appearance in the language can be very different. However, the most common of them is traumatic. Such a reason should not cause serious concern. However, the consequences of injury can be very different, provoking certain negative changes. In addition, a red spot on the tongue in an adult sometimes becomes evidence of pathologies of body systems. Sometimes it indicates negative changes in the internal organs. Red spots on the tongue (see photo below) can occur when a large number of irritants occur.
Medics have collected them in one list, which includes:
- Allergic reactions. In this case, red spots on the tongue occur due to an incorrect reaction of the body to various stimuli. Among them are natural, household, medicinal and food. Such spots are located throughout the tongue. The speed out of education can be very fast or stretch over more than one year.
- Venereal diseases. Red spots on the tongue are most often one of the symptoms of syphilis. In this case, the formation of ulcers occurs. The area of their localization is the front of the tongue.
- Viruses. The most common disease in which red spots appear on the tongue in adults is herpes. At its initial stage, bubbles appear in the oral cavity. It only takes a few days for their surface to burst. After that, ulcers appear at the localization sites of the bubbles. Additional symptoms of this viral disease are frequent itching and pain.
- Stomatitis. With this pathology, damage to the oral mucosa occurs. Stomatitis is the cause of the appearance of red spots on the tongue, which have a different size and location. Bacteria and viruses contribute to the emergence of such formations.
- Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (acid reflux or hypersecretion of the stomach glands, etc.). With such problems in the tongue, inflammation of the papillae occurs. They increase in size, and then red spots appear. A similar symptom occurs after eating sweet, fatty or spicy foods and alcohol, from overeating, as well as from emotional overstrain and stress.
- Oncology of the oral cavity. At the stage of the formation of the disease, it manifests itself in the form of painless and small red spots and sores. These formations can be located in any area of the oral cavity, in particular on the tongue. Sores and spots of red color persist for a long time.
- Pernicious anemia. A similar pathology occurs when there is a lack of vitamin B12 in the body. In addition to red spots on the tongue, the disease is accompanied by weight loss. In addition, there is confusion, depression, nausea, heartburn.
- Geographic language. A similar phenomenon occurs during teething in infants, with beriberi and after severe illnesses.
- Shingles. This disease is one of the causes of spots on the tongue in adults (red). In children, a similar ailment, as a rule,not diagnosed. With shingles, the rash begins to spread throughout the body, accompanied by itching, burning, and fever.
Red spots in children
The above etiological factors that provoke the formation of the described symptom are almost the same in adults and children. However, in young patients there are several characteristic pathologies that develop only in early and adolescence. If a similar symptom is found, then it is necessary to find out the causes of spots on the tongue (as in the photo below). This child needs to be seen by a pediatrician.
Only after examining it, the true causes of formations will become clear, which can be:
- Scarlet fever. Children are predominantly affected by this pathology. Carriers of the infection that caused scarlet fever are often people with a sore throat or infected with streptococcus. During illness, children feel weakness, discomfort in the throat, they are shivering. Sometimes a rash appears on the body, and a red coating appears on the tongue.
- Enterovirus stomatitis. It is a pathology with a mild course. An ailment appears after the child is infected with an enterovirus.
- Allergy.
White spots in adults
The reasons for their occurrence are different.
White spots on the tongue in an adult are the result of:
- Stomatitis. With this pathology, spots on the tongue appear not only red, but also white. At the whiteborder spots are clearer. And only sometimes they are blurry. The characteristic location of this formation is the back of the tongue, closer to the root.
- Candidiasis (thrush). With this disease, caused by the reproduction of a yeast culture in the oral cavity, white spots appear not only on the tongue. The area of their distribution covers the entire oral cavity. A distinctive feature of such white spots is their surface, reminiscent of a curd mass.
- Dehydration. In this state of the body, the spots merge, forming a whitish coating, which causes a feeling of dryness in a person.
- Lichen planus. This pathology is also one of the reasons for the appearance of white spots on the tongue. Lichen planus is a possible complication of hepatitis C. In the future, there is a risk of its transformation into an oncological disease.
- Cancer of the tongue and mouth. In this case, spots are formed not only on the organ of speech, but also on the mucous membranes of the cheeks and throat, as well as on the gums. Over time, such formations merge into a plaque that has a rim and is located near the root of the tongue.
- HIV. White spots on the tongue are one of the first symptoms of this formidable pathology.
- Colds. With hypothermia of the body and the manifestation of symptoms of intoxication, white spots may appear on the tongue with a pink border.
- Wearing braces. Their incorrect setting causes trauma to the mucosa and leads to the formation of white spots. In the future, such foci can develop into sores and contribute to the development of benign and malignant tumors.
White spots in children
Changing the color of a child's tongue often causes panic among parents. However, first of all, moms and dads need to calm down and carefully study the localization and nature of the formations. If this is not a plaque that has accumulated on the surface from particles of the epithelium and food debris, which is removed using the usual hygiene procedures, then a comprehensive consultation of a pediatrician will be required. The cause of these symptoms may be:
- Thrush. With this pathology, white plaque covers the entire oral cavity of the child.
- Stomatitis. This disease causes the appearance of spots on the mucous membrane and on the tongue. It is caused, as a rule, by a lack of vitamins in a growing organism.
- Leukoplakia. With this pathology, the formation of inflammatory foci, represented by flat growths, occurs on the tongue. The development of this disease is facilitated by microtrauma of the surface of the tongue, which the child inflicts with his teeth.
Yellow spots in adults
A number of reasons affect the appearance of plaque foci of this color.
Among them:
- Failures in the functioning of the digestive tract. If spots of a yellowish-gray or saturated yellow tint appear on the tongue, and a repulsive odor is felt from the oral cavity, then such manifestations should alert the person. In combination with nausea, this can be a sign of a wide variety of gastric dysfunctions. With the development of pathology in its most recent stages, yellow spots acquire an admixture of a brown tint. At the same time,an unpleasant taste appears in the patient's mouth, and he begins to suffer from bouts of nausea.
- Dysfunction in the liver and pancreas. Such pathologies cause the appearance of yellow spots on the tongue with an admixture of green hues. Similar symptoms, combined with a taste of iron in the mouth, indicate that there are malfunctions in the body with bile secretion.
- Inflammatory processes. Colds and flu may cause dark yellow spots on the tongue.
- Smoking. If a person has not parted with a cigarette for a long period, then dark yellow spots on his tongue could have arisen as a result of staining the surface with nicotine.
- Necrosis. Yellow spots on the tongue in this case are the result of necrosis of the tissues of this organ.
- Cancer. Such a pathology occurs due to the manifestation of a hereditary factor, smoking or frequent damage to the organ of speech.
Yellow spots in children
The tongue of little patients is sometimes covered with such formations due to:
- diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
- infections that increase body temperature;
- disturbed stools and vomiting, causing yellow spots with a brownish tinge;
- infant jaundice;
- stomatitis and carious diseases of the teeth;
- kidney failure;
- impaired immune system;
- diabetes.
Purple spots
Focuses of plaque of a similar color indicate blood stasis. In this case, you need to urgently seek help from a doctor. Self-medication withsimilar symptoms are unacceptable.
Brown spots
This color indicates problems with the circulatory system. In the mouth, in this case, bleeding of an unknown nature may be observed. In this case, the help of a specialist is also needed.
Black spots
This color of spots on the tongue indicates problems with the gallbladder or pancreas.
Black plaque can also indicate acidosis, which is an increase in the acidity of the body or its infection with a chromogenic fungus. When the disease is advanced, the spots change their black color to dark green.
Colorless spots
The reason for the appearance of such lesions on the tongue is desquamative glossitis. This is a very rare disease. Its course causes exfoliation of the upper layer of the tissue of the tongue, which provokes the appearance of colorless spots. As a rule, this pathology is found in the posterior region of the organ of speech. Symptoms of the disease is the loss of the susceptibility of this zone to the taste of food.
Colorless spots signal the onset of a herpes infection. They also appear in people who have been injured as a result of exposure to chemicals, as well as in patients with pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract, circulatory system and hormonal disorders.
Diagnosis
Due to the fact that in children and adults spots on the tongue (see photo below) are far from the only symptom that occurs with the ailments described above, then, first of all, if a problem occurs, you need to seek advice from dentist. Doctor if neededwill refer the patient for examination to an allergist, immunologist, gastroenterologist and other narrower specialists.
For the correct diagnosis of pathology, the doctor must conduct a thorough examination of the patient, clarify his complaints and collect an anamnesis of the disease. Such actions will allow you to prescribe the most effective course of therapy.
