Most often, spots that appear on the tongue do not cause any anxiety in a person. However, it should be borne in mind that such a phenomenon can indicate serious violations that arose in the work of various internal organs. That is why the arising formations are so important to make out in a timely manner and begin to take the necessary measures.
The 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 language, assumptions about the presence of a latent disease can be made. 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 an 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 healthy, then his tongue will have a pink color. A light coating of a whitish shade is not a pathology.
When should a disease be suspected? A dense layer of plaque will indicate the development of pathology, on which spots of various colors begin to stand out.
Sometimes a whitish coating of the tongue becomes the result of improper care of the oral cavity. In these cases, all that is required of a person is the correct brushing not only of his teeth, but also of his tongue. It is easy to get rid of plaque on it even if the problem is improper nutrition.
If spots on the tongue have arisen and are not mechanically eliminated, the causes of such formations should be carefully analyzed.
Localization
As mentioned above, spots that appear on the tongue can be painted in a variety of shades. Moreover, it is believed that the darker their color, the greater the risk to human health. The severity of a possible pathology can be indicated by the structure of the spot and its location in the tongue.
So, the darkening in the tip zone most likely indicates that a person needs to be careful about his heart and blood vessels. A spot that appears in the area immediately after the tip indicates possible lung problems. Education that arose in the center will warn of malfunctions in the functioning of the spleen. The spots immediately after this area will tell about kidney diseases. About the pathology of the intestine will prevent a change in color of the area located closer to the root of the tongue. If a person noticed spots on the side, then he should check the condition of the gallbladder and liver. You will 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. A similar reason should not cause serious concern. However, the consequences of injury can be very different, provoking certain negative changes. In addition, the red spot on the tongue in an adult sometimes becomes evidence of pathologies of the 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 irritating factors occur.
Doctors they are collected in one list, which includes:
- Allergic reactions. In this case, red spots on the tongue arise due to an incorrect reaction of the body to various stimuli. Among them are natural, domestic, medicinal and food. Such spots are placed throughout the tongue. The speed of education can be very fast or stretch for more than one year.
- Venereal diseases. Red spots on the tongue are most often one of the symptoms of syphilis. In this case, ulcers form. 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. Just a few days is enough for their surface to burst. After that, ulcers appear at the sites of localization of the vesicles. Additional symptoms of this viral disease include frequent itching and pain.
- Stomatitis. With this pathology, damage to the oral mucosa occurs. Stomatitis is the cause of the appearance of red spots in the tongue, which have a different size and location. The emergence of such formations contribute to bacteria and viruses.
- Gastrointestinal ailments (acid reflux or hypersecretion of the glands of the stomach, 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 sugary, 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 in size red spots and sores. These formations can be located in any area of the oral cavity, in particular in the tongue. Sores and red spots 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 ailment is accompanied by weight loss. In addition, there is confusion, depression, nausea, heartburn.
- Geographic language. A similar phenomenon occurs during teething in infants, with vitamin deficiency and after severe illnesses.
- Lichen shingles. This disease is one of the causes of spots on the tongue in adults (red). In children, a similar ailment, as a rule, is 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 provoking the formation of the described symptom are almost the same in adults and in children. However, in small 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). For this child, it is necessary to show the pediatrician.
Only after its inspection will the true causes of the formations become clear, which may be:
- Scarlet fever. Mostly children suffer from this pathology. People with a sore throat or infected with streptococcus are often carriers of the infection that caused scarlet fever. During the illness, children feel weakness, discomfort in the throat, they chills. Sometimes a rash appears on the body, and a plaque of red appears on the tongue.
- Enteroviral stomatitis. It is a pathology with a mild course. An illness manifests itself after infection of the child with enterovirus.
- Allergy.
White spots in adults
The reasons for their occurrence are different.
White spots on the tongue in an adult are a consequence of:
- Stomatitis. With this pathology, spots on the tongue appear not only red, but also white. White spots have sharper borders. And only sometimes are they blurred. The characteristic location of this formation is the back of the tongue, closer to the root.
- Candidiasis (thrush). In this disease, caused by reproduction of a yeast culture in the oral cavity, white spots appear not only in the tongue. The area of their distribution covers the entire oral cavity. A distinctive feature of such white spots is their surface, resembling a curd mass.
- Dehydration. With this state of the body, the spots merge, forming a whitish coating, which causes a person to feel dry.
- Lichen planus. This pathology is also one of the reasons for the appearance of white spots in the language. 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 oral cavity. In this case, spots are formed not only on the organ of speech, but also on the mucous membrane of the cheeks and throat, as well as on the gums. Over time, such formations merge into plaque, having a rim and 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 and the manifestation of intoxication symptoms, white spots may appear on the tongue with a pink fringing.
- 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 ulcers and contribute to the development of benign and malignant tumors.
White spots in children
A change in the color of the child’s tongue often causes panic in parents. However, first of all, mothers and fathers 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 epithelium and food debris, which is removed using conventional hygiene procedures, then a comprehensive pediatric consultation is required. The cause of the appearance of such symptoms may be:
- Thrush. With this pathology, white plaque covers the entire oral cavity of the child.
- Stomatitis. This ailment 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 body.
- Leukoplakia. With this pathology, the formation of inflammatory foci represented by flat growths occurs in the tongue. The development of this ailment is facilitated by microtrauma of the surface of the tongue that the child causes with his teeth.
Yellow spots in adults
A number of reasons affect the appearance of foci of plaque of a similar color.
Among them:
- Failures in the functioning of the digestive tract. If spots of a yellowish-gray or saturated yellow hue appear on the tongue, and a repulsive smell 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 at its most recent stages, the yellow spots acquire an admixture of a brown hue. At the same time, the patient has an unpleasant aftertaste in his mouth, and attacks of nausea begin to torment him.
- Dysfunction in the liver and pancreas. Such pathologies cause yellow spots in the language with an admixture of green shades. Such symptoms, together with the taste of iron in the mouth, indicate that the body has malfunctions with bile secretion.
- Inflammatory processes. With colds and flu, dark yellow spots may appear on the tongue.
- Smoking. If a person did not part with a cigarette for a long period, then dark yellow spots in his tongue could arise 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. A similar pathology occurs in connection with the manifestation of a hereditary factor, smoking, or frequent damage to the organ of speech.
Yellow spots in children
The language of young patients is sometimes covered by such formations due to:
- gastrointestinal diseases;
- infections in which the body temperature rises;
- disorders of stool and vomiting, provoking the appearance of yellow spots with a brownish tinge;
- infant jaundice;
- stomatitis and carious diseases of the teeth;
- renal failure;
- malfunctions of the immune system;
- diabetes mellitus.
Purple spots
Foci of plaque of a similar color indicate stagnation of blood. In this case, you must urgently seek help from a doctor. Self-medication for such symptoms is unacceptable.
Brown spots
A similar color indicates problems with the circulatory system. In this case, bleeding of an unknown nature may be observed in the mouth. In this case, specialist assistance 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. With an advanced disease, the spots change their black color to dark green.
Colorless spots
The reason for the appearance of such lesions in the language is desquamative glossitis. This is a very rare disease. Its course causes exfoliation of the upper layer of the tongue tissue, 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 are loss of susceptibility of this zone to the taste of food.
Colorless spots indicate the onset of 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 with hormonal disorders.
Diagnostics
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 consult a dentist. The doctor, if necessary, will 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 a medical history. Such actions will allow you to prescribe the most effective course of therapy.