What kind of disease is this “leukoplakia"? Treatment, symptoms, causes should be considered in this article. Leukoplakia is a disease of the human mucous membranes, characterized by increased keratinization of the integumentary epithelium. Epithelial cells begin to form more actively, the epithelium thickens and desquamates. This disease can affect any mucous membranes, but more often people with complaints of either genital organs or the oral cavity come with complaints.
Most often, this disease occurs on the mucous membrane of the lower lip, tongue, in the corners of the mouth, on the cheeks in the area of closure of the teeth, on the vaginal cervix, vulva, and vaginal mucosa. In men, the glans penis, the area of the prepunical sac and anus are affected. Sometimes keratinization spreads through the cervical canal. The incidence of the disease increases several times after 30 years. Do not underestimate the disease - a disease such as leukoplakia, treatment can simply be ignored or regarded as a signal for the transition to cancer!
So, the causes of the development of this disease include:
- local irritant effect: friction of the mucosa against damaged teeth, sharp edges of fillings, braces, irrationally made prostheses, burns with hot food or chemical compounds;
- bad habits: smoking, frequent drinking, habitual biting of the mucous lips and cheeks.
Leukoplakia: symptoms and forms.
There are 3 forms of the disease: flat, warty and erosive.
In the first form, a person does not complain, less often he pays attention to the appearance of a cloudy whitish focus on the mucosa, a certain feeling of tightness. With a more thorough examination, an opalescent, pearlescent area is determined, which can slightly rise against the background of an unchanged mucosa or be slightly elevated and embossed. When you try to remove this "plaque" is determined by its tight cohesion with the underlying tissues.
With a warty form, a person can notice the appearance of a small growth, which can interfere with the wearing of the prosthesis or is constantly injured when eating. Outwardly, the focus looks like a sharply defined keratinization area having a tuberous surface.
Erosive leukoplakia can act as a separate form, or be a complication of flat and verrucous (tuberous) forms. It is manifested by the appearance of cracks and erosion against the background of a zone of increased keratinization.
Smokers' leukoplakia is also allocated into a separate clinical form: a large area of continuous keratinization in the area of the hard palate and part of the soft. The disease disappears as soon as a person stops smoking.
Basically, the disease is almost asymptomatic, and the diagnosis is made by chance during a routine examination or treatment of another disease. But, despite the external harmlessness, leukoplakia is a pre-tumor disease that can become malignant at any moment and turn into cancer.
Leukoplakia: how to treat a “gentle killer-2”?
In each individual case, therapy is always required, especially when it comes to precancerous diseases, which include leukoplakia. Treatment is complex: elimination of local irritating factors, treatment of concomitant diseases, rejection of bad habits, rational nutrition. In some cases, it will be necessary to consult with related specialists. Patients are prescribed vitamin B and A vitamins. Vitamin A is recommended to be drunk 3 times a day by mouth for 1-2 months. Vitamin B - 20-30 mg per day orally or by intramuscular injection of 1-2 ml (6% solution). Prescribe sedatives: tincture of motherwort, valerian, Quater potion.
If leukoplakia does not “notice” the treatment for some time, the doctor may recommend that the changed lesion be removed surgically using liquid nitrogen. To determine the presence of tumor cells, a piece of tissue is always sent for histological examination.
For better healing of cracks and erosion, an oil solution of vitamin A, sea buckthorn oil, rosehip oil are used.