The simplest diagnosis that any person can carry out for himself, without leaving his home, is to carefully examine the reflection of his tongue in the mirror. The shape and color of this organ can tell a lot about health, and any changes in its appearance can signal a disease. This affordable and very simple way should not be neglected. After all, its use will not take much free time. It is enough to carefully examine the tongue, for example, in the morning, while brushing your teeth.
Such a diagnosis is quite simple and at the same time is capable of telling a lot about the body, as well as suggesting about the failures in it. What is the color of the language of man, even the ancient Chinese healers knew. They could “read” the information provided to them and accurately diagnose the condition of the internal organs of their patient without any analyzes and sophisticated equipment that is available in the arsenal of modern physicians.
Important organ
The language has many functions. It determines the taste and mixes the food during chewing, and without it our speech would be impossible.
The tongue is the muscles that are surrounded by the mucous membrane. Its surface is covered with papillae - analyzers. They distinguish the taste of products. But besides these functions, language serves as an indicator of our health.
In eastern medicine, it is believed that each part of it is responsible for the work of a particular organ. So, the tip of the tongue is the heart and lungs. Its middle part is the pancreas, liver, spleen and stomach. The root of the tongue will tell about the work of the intestine, and its side sections will tell about the kidneys.
Doctors have always considered this organ an excellent indicator of ill health. Indeed, very often changes in its appearance can be seen earlier than the disease itself makes itself felt. And most likely it is not so important how to correctly speak the colors in English, the state of the organ in question is much more important. This will allow you to contact a specialist in time to solve problems.
It is important to know what color when considering the body, which is an indicator of health, corresponds to one or another pathology. For example, what does the red color of the tongue mean? It gives signals about malfunctions of the lungs and heart, as well as existing blood pathologies or infectious diseases. A bluish tint, which is observed on the lower surface of the tongue, suggests heart failure even before the appearance of sudden weakness, pain and heaviness in the chest area. This will allow you to take the necessary preventive measures and prevent a sudden attack.
Color norm
If a person is healthy, then his tongue is velvety, pink and smooth. Sometimes there may be a white coating on it, but it is so thin that it does not hide the pink color of this organ and its papilla. Such a cover is a variant of the physiological norm. Most often, it occurs after sleep and is most characteristic for the winter period, when the heating system in the room works, which reduces air humidity. Physiological plaque does not have any odor, is transparent, has a white or slightly yellowish tint and is easily removed.
But the absence of such a cover, as well as its excessive amount, should alert. Too thin coating on the tongue may indicate the onset of the disease or the superficial localization of the disease. A more pronounced plaque indicates the presence of a chronic disease. With a gradual thickening of the white cover and the acquisition of a yellow, gray or dark shade, you should take care of your weakening immunity. What does the color of a person’s language speak of, it is worth knowing in more detail in order to make an overall picture of the state of the body.
Why does physiological plaque occur?
One of the main reasons why a white cover forms on the tongue is a deficiency of fluid with its increased perspiration. Based on this, it becomes clear why in the summer such a coating has, as a rule, a greater thickness. Indeed, on hot days, the evaporation of water from the body occurs much faster, leading this process to easy dehydration. The general well-being of a person does not change. However, the saliva in the mouth becomes thicker, and the organic components included in its composition lead to the creation of a characteristic white coating.
Another reason for the appearance of such a cover is the saprophytic microflora that lives in the oral cavity. If a person does not fully comply with the rules of hygiene, then such microflora begins to multiply actively and cover the mucous membranes with plaque. Microscopic fungi of the genus Candida are particularly active in this process, but this can only happen if the immunity is reduced.
Until now, the question of whether it is necessary to clear the tongue of the physiological plaque covering it is still not completely clarified. Many experts believe that its removal should occur naturally when a person drinks liquid or takes solid food. If the plaque in the tongue remains throughout the day, then it may be the first symptom of any pathology, namely:
- diseases of the oral cavity;
- diseases of the digestive system;
- liver pathologies;
- failures in the kidneys;
- diseases of the endocrine system;
- infectious lesions;
- poisoning by poisons.
Oral candidiasis
A similar disease is quite common. The main reason for its occurrence is the microscopic fungi of the genus Candida, which actively grow on the mucous membranes of the gums and tongue, cheeks, posterior pharyngeal wall and tonsils.
Pathogenic microflora most often accompanies an immunodeficiency state in:
- massive antibiotic therapy;
- severe somatic diseases;
- HIV;
- diabetes mellitus;
- seasonal immunodeficiencies.
In medicine, 4 forms of oropharyngeal candidiasis are distinguished, including atrophic and pseudomembranous, erosive-ulcerative and hyperplastic.
What is the milk color of the tongue talking about? He warns about the development of a pseudomembranous form of candidiasis of the oral cavity. Initially , small point raids appear in the tongue . And only after some time they merge together, forming a continuous curd-like film, similar to curdled milk. Typically, such foci can be easily removed with a spatula, and hyperemia zones remain in their place.
With pseudomembranous candidiasis, the brown-brown color of the tongue speaks of what? The description of the disease in this case is expressed in the fact that the affected areas are most often painless. In this case, the plaque is not continuous, but consists of individual plaques located on the background of the mucosa susceptible to inflammation. After attaching foci of a bacterial infection on the tongue, superficial ulcers or erosion occur.
Brown-brown plaque in this case indicates that the white plaque was saturated with blood components. If the child has a white color of the tongue, what does this phenomenon indicate? In most cases, the cause of this plaque is precisely the pseudomembrane form of candidiasis.
What is the dark red color of the tongue? On the development of an atrophic form of the disease, which often develops after a pseudomembrane. Indeed, in this case, it is most often the language that is affected. The nipples located on it are smoothed, and the epithelium is desquamated. Patients complain of itching and pain, dryness and burning in the mouth. During meals, a slight trauma to the mucosa and its bleeding is noticed.
The white color of the plaque in the tongue is talking about? It may indicate a hyperplastic form of candidiasis, which often develops in smokers. Symptoms of this type of disease are foci appearing on the tongue and cheeks in the form of plaques and white spots, which on the periphery have a hyperemic corolla. It is noted that no unpleasant sensations in a person with this form of candidiasis occur. The disease can persist for a long time, ending in 20% of cases with malignant neoplasms.
It is very rare to find an erosive-ulcerative form of candidiasis. As a rule, people with severe immunodeficiency suffer from it.
Glossitis
This disease is an inflammatory process of the mucous membrane of the tongue. In this case, glossitis is manifested as a separate disease, and one of the symptoms of any systemic pathology. For example, it can be pernicious anemia.
In the form of a separate disease, glossitis occurs after exposure to the mucous membrane of the tongue of various traumatic agents, which can be, for example, hot dishes and liquids, after which conditionally pathogenic or pathogenic flora joins.
In its clinical form, glossitis is manifested by soreness, flattening of the papillae and folds of the tongue, as well as swelling. This leads to the fact that the shape and color of the language changes. What does the fact that with glossitis, the plaque can be white-yellow or yellow, brown, brown or white? The color of the tongue with this pathology depends on the type of flora that caused the disease. In addition, with glossitis, the mucous membrane is often covered with erosion and ulcers, which bleed easily with any contact.
Esophagitis
This disease is an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the esophagus. The reason for their formation may be different. These are thermal and chemical burns, and reflux of the gastroesophageal type, and infectious pathologies.
The clinical form of esophagitis is manifested in heartburn that torments a person and belching with air and acidic contents, night attacks of laryngospasm, as well as pain behind the sternum. In this case, you can observe the yellow color of the tongue. What does such an unusual thick coating say? It is a consequence of the release of the contents of the stomach into the oral cavity.
Gastritis
A similar diagnosis is collective and indicates dystrophic or inflammatory lesions of the gastric mucosa. In this case, two forms of this pathology are distinguished, namely superficial and atrophic.
Is the white or yellow color of the tongue talking about (photo see below)? Such a plaque may indicate the presence of superficial gastritis, which is chronic in nature.
Symptoms of this pathology are expressed in a feeling of heaviness and discomfort in the epigastric region, an unpleasant aftertaste in the mouth, lack of appetite, heartburn, and also in periodically occurring nausea. Sometimes with such a pathology there is an acidic smell, which is a consequence of gastroesophageal reflux.
What is the crimson color of the tongue? The determination of the disease in the presence of the symptoms of superficial gastritis described above will not be difficult. This is an atrophic form of lesions of the gastric mucosa, in the clinical manifestations of which is also added unmotivated weight loss and weakness. In this case, there is a lack of Castle factor, which is responsible for the normal absorption of vitamin B12 by the body. This causes the development of pernicious anemia, which manifests itself in pale skin, brittle hair, as well as paresthesia of the limbs. In addition to acquiring a raspberry color, the tongue becomes “varnished”, smoothing of the papillae occurs on its surface, and tooth prints appear on the sides.
Colitis
The dirty yellow color of the tongue is talking about? The definition of the disease in this case may relate to the area of infectious and autoimmune, ischemic and inflammatory processes occurring in the mucous membrane of the large intestine. By the nature of the course of colitis, acute and chronic are distinguished.
With the first option, as a rule, there are sharp abdominal pains, flatulence, tenesmus, and diarrhea. In feces with acute colitis, pathological impurities are present. It is against the background of the above symptoms that dehydration begins to develop. At the same time, the tongue is covered with a hard-to-see dirty yellow coating, it becomes dry and becomes pronounced striated.
A calmer clinical picture has chronic colitis. It is manifested by non-localized, diffuse abdominal pain, a feeling of fullness, bloating, alternating constipation and diarrhea, as well as tenesmus. With a long-term current illness, the body is depleted, its immunity decreases and vitamin deficiency occurs. If the disease proceeds in a mild form, then plaque on the tongue may be absent altogether. At the same time, what is the white color of the tongue talking about (see photo below)?
A similar plaque indicates the presence of candidiasis, which developed against the background of immunodeficiency. A dirty yellow coating confirms the dehydration process. "Varnished" language is a characteristic sign of vitamin deficiency.
Pancreatitis
The brown or tan color of a person’s tongue indicates what kind of disease? It may indicate pancreatitis, which is a chronic or acute inflammatory process of the pancreas, in which digestive enzymes are activated and self-digestion of pancreatic tissues is triggered.
With the acute nature of the pathology, there are girdles of pronounced pain in the upper abdomen, as well as vomiting and nausea, intoxication, lowering blood pressure and an increase in body temperature. If the disease proceeds in its severe form, then the tongue becomes dry and streaked. In addition, it is covered with hard-to-peel, hard, thick brown or tan deposits.
With pancreatitis, the white or white-yellow color of the tongue speaks of what? The description of the pathology in this case relates to the chronic form of its manifestation. In this case, the patient complains of bloating and flatulence, periodically arising non-localized pain in the abdomen, weight loss, weakness and disorders of the stool. In this case, the tongue may present signs of papillary atrophy, which is a consequence of a deficiency of vitamins and nutrients.
Appendicitis
This disease is caused by inflammatory processes in the appendix and belongs to the category of acute surgical. In this case, the patient develops diffuse pains immediately in the upper abdomen, and after that they pass into the right ileal zone, becoming localized. In the initial stages of appendicitis, the tongue is covered with a whitish coating. In the event of complications, plaque becomes dirty gray.
Liver pathology
For any diseases of this organ, symptoms such as weakness and intoxication, body aches, lethargy and loss of appetite are manifested. In this case, pain often occurs in the right hypochondrium. They range from aching to intense, capable of dramatically worsening a person’s condition. With such pathologies, liver cell damage occurs. In addition, the normal outflow of bile is disrupted, which causes yellowness of the skin.
The tongue in such cases is covered with a white layer of plaque, which has a yellowish tint. In this case, a characteristic smell of raw liver can be recognized from the mouth.
Kidney disease
In what cases is the tongue covered with a brown coating and acquires a “lacquer” character? This occurs in case of renal failure, which is a consequence of disturbances in the excretory, filtration and secretory work of these organs due to vascular thrombosis, infections, poisoning and injuries.
In the acute form of the manifestation of the disease, transient and vivid symptoms are observed, accompanied by nausea and weakness, a sharp decrease in urine volume, as well as severe intoxication.
In addition to brown plaque, erosion and sores may appear on the tongue, which bleed easily when in contact with food.
In chronic renal failure, patients complain of apathy and weakness, increased fatigue and severe weight loss. The patient’s skin turns pale yellow with a characteristic “hoarfrost”, which indicates the loss of urea crystals. Bitterness, dryness and a metallic taste appear in the mouth. The tongue is covered with a very dense brown or brown coating with small erosive areas.