A person without a medical education often replaces complex professional terms with simple household names. So, for example, cracks and wounds that “decorate” the corners of the lips are called jams. In fact, this is a manifestation of angular stomatitis. What kind of disease is this and how can it be fought?
What is angular stomatitis?
It may seem that medicine is specifically trying to confuse patients by giving many names to one process. It happens on the card: angular cheilitis, angular cheilitis, angular stomatitis, cheilitosis, angular stomatitis, slit-like impetiligo. In fact, all this is one and the same disease. That is, a small inflammatory process in the oral cavity caused by the appearance of yeast-like fungi Candida or streptococci, with the formation of skin defects in the corners of the mouth.
Many are sure that this is just a cosmetic defect, and do not go to the doctor with a similar problem. In most cases, it is possible to cope with seizures in improvised ways. However, do not forget that in an advanced state, any disease is more difficult to treat. And besides, inflammation of the corners of the lips is a symptom of a more complex internal disease.
General clinical picture
Angular stomatitis can occur in different ways, depending on the form of the bacterial lesion. As already mentioned, it can be candidal or streptococcal. Often, the doctor needs not only a visual examination of skin erosion, but also an analysis of scraping from the surface of the affected area. Only in this way can he make a reliable diagnosis.
First, a slight inflammation appears in the corner of the mouth. The inflamed area bursts and a crack appears, which may be wet or crusty. The affected area begins to itch or cause a burning sensation, and during eating or talking a person experiences pain.
Now it’s worth clarifying the difference between candida and streptococcal seizure.
Streptococcal lesion
Streptococcal angular stomatitis is most often found in children. It begins suddenly and develops rather quickly. The first symptom is the appearance of one or more vesicles. Inside they are filled with a clear or cloudy liquid. Streptococcal seizure is always clearly visible from the outside. Erosion can occur from both two and one sides of the oral cavity. Bubbles are localized in the corners of the lips or at a short distance from them. After some time, erosion of the mucous epithelium appears at the site of the bursting bubble. Then cracks form on top of erosion. If treatment is not started in a timely manner, then the cracks deepen and reach the layer of lymphatic capillaries. Discharges from the wound appear, which cause hardening and drying out of the skin. An inelastic crust forms, which cracks if necessary to open your mouth wide, eating, talking normally. The patient's appetite decreases, overall health worsens, itching and burning sensation of the affected areas appear.
Candidiasis
If angular stomatitis is candidal in nature, then it develops slowly. In some cases, the lesion is localized in the inner corners of the lips, and it is not visible from the outside. If the inflammatory process has affected the outer corners of the lips, then reddish erosion surrounded by pale loose skin can be seen on them. The corners of the mouth are not crusty, but, on the contrary, get wet. A whitish cheesy coating appears on them. These are the waste products of Candida. At the initial stage, the candidal form does not have bubbles, this is important for making a diagnosis. The inflammatory process is almost always characterized by damage to both corners of the mouth.
Reasons for the appearance of jam
A limited number of streptococci and yeast can be found on the skin of a completely healthy person. To activate pathogenic microflora, certain conditions are necessary.
The cause of jamming as an independent symptom may be:
- skin injury, for example squeezing an acne near the corner of the lip;
- poor oral hygiene;
- poorly fitting dentures;
- dirty dishes;
- dirty fruits and vegetables;
- hypothermia.
Zayed as a symptom of other diseases
If angular stomatitis is a symptom of a more complex process, then the approach to its elimination should be different. Seizures can be symptoms of the following diseases:
- vitamin deficiencies;
- all types of anemia;
- viral infections associated with prolonged fever;
- hypovitaminosis;
- immunodeficiency conditions;
- diabetes mellitus;
- allergic reactions;
- violations of the digestive tract.
In this case, when eliminating the seizures in the corners of the mouth, the causes and treatment should be interconnected. First of all, therapy is directed against the underlying disease, since only symptomatic treatment will not help.
Treatment methods
As always, treatment is preceded by examination and diagnosis. If the seizure is not a symptom of another disease, then its pathogen is determined. For the candidal form, the appointment of antimycotic drugs is required, since the fight will go with a fungal infection. Additionally, it may be necessary to treat the affected areas of the skin with antiseptics. Specialists often prescribe the antifungal drug Clotrimazole. And for the subsequent healing of Bepanten and D-panthenol.
To eliminate the streptococcal form, an antibacterial ointment from seizures will be required. The liquid preparation "Stomatidin" helps well. The tool is prescribed in the form of rinses or lotions. It equally effectively affects both streptococci and fungal flora. Ointments with an antibiotic, for example with erythromycin, are often prescribed. Well-known Vishnevsky ointment helps everyone.
If local therapy does not eliminate the seizures in the corners of the mouth, the causes and treatment should be further studied and adjusted. It may be necessary to prescribe vitamin complexes, immunomodulators, or general strengthening agents. The underlying disease is treated or an allergic reaction is eliminated, and the treatment of angular stomatitis is carried out simultaneously or at the end of the course of basic therapy.
How to treat a child
Kids are restless and active. It is difficult for them to understand that a small wound on the face should not be touched, that it should not be scratched and licked. If there is a jam in a child, what to treat should be determined by a pediatrician. Uncontrolled use of medications can cause great harm to the baby. In many cases, peroxide or brilliant green processing is sufficient.
If the candidal form is detected, which is not very common in children, then nystatin or levorin ointment is prescribed. Older children additionally rinse the oral cavity, and the babies are treated with corners of the lips with soda solution.
If the seizures appeared due to an allergy to a product, then parents should carefully remove the remnants of food from the corners of the mouth and exclude it from the diet.
ethnoscience
In simple cases, the use of folk remedies is enough. Many, having discovered angular stomatitis, carry out the treatment at home. The main direction is the softening of the crust and wound healing. The following tools are suitable:
- Vegetable oils. To keep the skin soft, refined oils can be applied to the erosion site. Sea buckthorn, olive or flaxseed is a good option. But tea tree oil can be used not so much to mitigate as to disinfect the lesion site. In this case, short applications are performed. A few drops of tea tree oil is applied to a piece of gauze and applied for 2-5 minutes.
- Homemade vitamin nourishing ointment. A small container mixes a spoonful of honey, 10 drops of fish oil and 2 drops of liquid vitamins A and E. The best option is to apply in the evening and leave until morning.
- You can fight with seizures by rubbing them several times a day with aloe juice.
- For treatment, infusions prepared from medicinal herbs are also suitable. In this case, chamomile, sage, oak bark are effective. Washing should be done 3-5 times a day.
- Plantain juice effectively fights angular stomatitis. The plant is harvested away from busy roads, washed and ground. Juice is squeezed out of the obtained slurry, which is used for rubbing and lotions.
- For treatment, propolis can be used. If this is an alcoholic infusion, then after applying an antiseptic, softening oils are applied.
- An effective tool is earwax. This is not very aesthetic, but quite effective. Sulfur must be applied several times a day.
- Antibacterial effect has fresh garlic. Thin plates or ground gruel can be applied to the wounds in the corners of the mouth.
If improvised means do not bring visible results within a few days, then it’s not worth the risk. It is best to consult a doctor, and use traditional medicine as an addition to the main treatment.
Disease prevention
To prevent angular stomatitis, if this is not a symptom associated with another disease, it is enough to regularly and thoroughly perform hygienic procedures, consult a dentist twice a year to examine the oral cavity and identify caries or periodontitis. In addition, do not use dirty dishes and common spoons.