How to distinguish plaque on the tongue with gastritis from symptoms of other diseases

Inflammation of the gastric mucosa caused by poor diet, negative effects of bacteria, and alcohol abuse is called gastritis. Types of gastritis are manifested by various symptoms, one of which is plaque on the tongue. This symptom may belong not only to gastritis, but also to other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and other organs.

These can be liver pathologies, dehydration, side effects of medications, as well as intoxication and dyes from food products. In order to correctly diagnose the plaque that appears on the tongue during gastritis, you need to become familiar with the features of this symptom.

What does a healthy tongue look like?

The tongue is pale pink - absolutely healthy.

Diagnosis by the appearance of the tongue was mastered by ancient healers, who believed that a disease could not be considered cured until the patient’s tongue regained its previous appearance. The tongue of an absolutely healthy person has the following signs:

Pale pink color;
Small taste buds without pronounced features;
No bad breath;
Be moderately moist;
The presence of a small amount of translucent bright pink coating is allowed;
There is no unpleasant odor.

If you deviate from these signs, you should consult a general practitioner or gastroenterologist and undergo the examination prescribed by him.

Signs of deviations from the normal state of the tongue

It is quite possible that, once you look at your tongue, you will see a rather unsightly picture. Symptoms of deviation from the norm:

A coating of various colors, thicknesses, and with different locations of spots appears on the back of the tongue;
The sides of the tongue are bright red;
The taste buds look uneven, some of them increase in size and begin to disturb with unpleasant sensations, taste sensations change, their intensity weakens;
The oral cavity becomes unusually dry;
In some cases, the appearance of pain and burning is diagnosed;
There is an unpleasant odor from the mouth;
After cleaning the tongue, the plaque appears again after a short time.

In the plaque that appears on the tongue, laboratory testing can reveal leukocytes, pathogenic microflora, and exfoliated epithelial cells.

This video will tell you about plaque on the tongue due to gastritis:

How to properly treat a tongue burn?

Treatment methods depend on the type of thermal injury.

What to do in case of a thermal burn of the tongue?

rinse your mouth with cool water;
apply ice or a cold object to the damaged area;
treat the burn site with a disinfectant solution;
rinse with a disinfectant to prevent bacteria from entering the oral cavity;
use local anesthetic compounds;
while the tongue is recovering, eat liquids, fruits and vegetables rich in vitamins C and B. Avoid spicy, pickled foods, foods that can have a mechanical effect on tissue (nuts, crackers, seeds, etc.).

If there are bubbles on the surface of the tongue, you should urgently seek help from a dentist! Under no circumstances should you open blisters yourself! You may need hospital treatment under the supervision of a doctor.

How to treat a chemical burn of the tongue?

rinse the mouth thoroughly;
neutralize aggressive chemicals. Depending on the source of the burn, a specific neutralizer is used;

Note! If the oral cavity is burned with an alkaline solution, it cannot be rinsed with water, since moisture promotes more active penetration into the soft tissues of the tongue.

After neutralization, the burning sensation should go away. For pain relief, it is worth using anesthetics and antihistamines;
if the mucous membrane is severely burned, with damage to the structure of the tongue and muscle tissue, it is necessary to urgently go for an examination to a doctor.

Diagnosis of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract by language

The tongue will tell you about gastrointestinal diseases.

Modern gastroenterology does not specialize in diagnosis based on the appearance of the tongue. However, an attentive person suffering from such pathologies can distinguish the symptoms of gastrointestinal diseases:

Acute gastritis - a viscous, dense coating of white-gray color is visible on the entire surface of the tongue, with the exception of the tip and side parts. The mouth feels dry and has an unpleasant acidic taste. Perhaps, instead of dryness, increased salivation will appear. In acute gastritis, similar symptoms include heartburn and sour belching, cutting pain in the epigastric region 1-2 hours after eating, weakness, headaches, diarrhea, heaviness in the stomach. With inadequate treatment, acute gastritis becomes chronic.
Chronic gastritis - light deposits on the tongue are replaced by occasional dark gray deposits. To the previous symptoms are added such characteristic signs of chronic gastritis as astheno-neurotic syndrome, constant irritation, aching pain that intensifies some time after eating. About 40% of all cases of acute gastritis become chronic. This condition is fraught with the spread of the process to the duodenum and the development of gastroduodenitis.
A stomach ulcer in combination with gastritis affects the condition and appearance of the tongue - its surface becomes bright red, with gray spots of dense plaque that are difficult to clean. This picture is complemented by signs of stomatitis and cyanosis. The patient feels a burning sensation and the production of saliva increases.
Oncological damage to the gastrointestinal tract, as well as the presence of internal circulation, is reflected in the condition of the tongue by the appearance of evenly spaced white plaque of increased viscosity, excessive saliva production, and a burning sensation in the oral cavity.

What it is

As an isolated disease, glossalgia is statistically extremely rare among visits to dentists.

Glossalgia of the tongue is expressed in periodic or constant pain without obvious reasons.

Initially, the patient may experience itching, tingling, anemia, burning sensation in the tongue, and dry mouth. Some do not even attach much importance to this disease, because it always appears against the background of serious diseases and dysfunctions of the body, be it the gastrointestinal tract, liver, nervous or endocrine system.

At the moment the symptoms of glossalgia appear, the patient has more important problems on which he concentrates his attention. And when the underlying disease, the main cause of the formation of painful sensations in the tongue, is eliminated, glossalgia itself most often disappears without a trace.

Most patients have no idea what glossalgia is and what causes it. Many people attribute tingling, swelling and burning of the tongue to injured teeth, defective fillings or poorly fitting dentures. However, glossalgia is a problem not at all associated with all of the above factors.

Most often, this disease is diagnosed in women of menopausal age. Men are much less susceptible to it. Symptoms appear against the background of serious problems with the gastrointestinal tract, blood vessels, hormones, blood circulation in the brain, as well as during stressful conditions, depression, and nervous system disorders. Also, tongue disease often occurs in suspicious people.

Scientific research associates the development of glossalgia, or as it is also called glossodynia, with disruption of the hypothalamus. And since this part of the brain is responsible for the functioning of the nervous, cardiovascular, digestive and excretory systems, regulation of metabolism, emotions and much more, malfunctions in its work affect, among other things, the vagus and glossopharyngeal nerves. In this regard, the patient begins to experience false painful sensations in the absence of any traumatic element.

Differentiation of plaque in gastritis from other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract

A thick, grayish coating is characteristic of dysentery.

It is important to suspect the onset of a dangerous disease in time. To take action and prevent complications from occurring. Differential diagnosis by tongue of gastritis from other diseases and conditions:

A thick, grayish coating is characteristic of dysentery. In this case, the tongue looks cracked, and less saliva is produced than usual.
Desquamative glossitis - this type of inflammation of the tongue is characterized by such symptoms as red spots of complete absence of epithelium or several altered taste buds on the tongue, covered with a white coating.
Galvanic stomatitis is a form of inflammation of the tongue that arises as a result of a reaction to metal prostheses, manifested by spots in the form of pimples, and subsequently by the appearance of erosions against a background of white plaque.
Infectious diseases - sore throat, scarlet fever, diphtheria, HIV infection can cause the appearance of a white coating on the tongue, but almost all of these infections are accompanied by high fever and skin rashes.
Diseases of the heart and blood vessels - plaque is located on the anterior third of the tongue.
Kidney disease - plaque on the tongue is localized at the back along the edges.
Endocrine disorders - under the plaques of white plaque there are ulcers and erosions.
Anemia is not a coating on the tongue, but blanching of the entire surface of the organ. Diseases of the respiratory system are often indicated by the localization of white plaque on the front and along the edges of the tongue.
Diseases of the salivary glands - the appearance of a white coating is accompanied by the appearance of an unpleasant odor.
Diseases of the liver and gall bladder - the color of the plaque is not white, but has a yellowish or brown tint. A white coating on the tongue can be caused by the consumption of dairy products, as well as the proliferation of bacteria and fungi in those who abuse sweets. Unlike plaque during gastritis, such layers are easily removed and do not form further.

Symptoms of tongue neurosis

The syndrome has a very variable clinical picture; often the patient himself cannot find the appropriate words to describe his feelings. But the most common complaints are:

tingling, numbness, itching, burning of the tongue, lips and oral mucosa;
sensations of puffiness, swelling and heaviness of the tongue, as if it had been “sprinkled with pepper” or “scalded with boiling water”, dry mouth;
impaired taste sensitivity, decreased salivation, often against this background appetite worsens and weight decreases;
raw pain in the palate, tonsils, back of the throat;
partial numbness of the mucous membrane;
sensation of a foreign body in the mouth.

Discomfort occurs periodically; at the initial stage of the disorder, the duration of this kind of “attack” is 2–5 minutes, gradually unpleasant sensations appear more and more often and become permanent over time. Numbness of the tongue during neurosis, like other symptoms of the disorder, increases with the consumption of alcohol, peppery foods, pickles, too cold or vice versa, hot food and drinks.

The patient is convinced that because his tongue is swollen, he cannot speak clearly. A person reduces communication to a minimum, prefers correspondence to conversation and personal meetings, which does not have the best effect on speech functions and socialization skills in general.

A coated tongue during neurosis is uncharacteristic; the presence of plaque indicates the presence of a bacterial or viral process, but it is possible that it is of a secondary nature. For example, due to severe discomfort, a person constantly touches his face and lips with his hands, which provokes the development of an infectious process.

In addition, glossalgia often leads to a decrease in local immune defense. That is why tongue neurosis is often accompanied by stomatitis, laryngitis, chronic tonsillitis and/or pharyngitis.

Symptoms from the psycho-emotional sphere are also characteristic. A person experiences constant anxiety and internal tension. Characterized by insomnia with nightmares and restless dreams, irritability and intolerance, gloominess.

Is plaque on the tongue dangerous - how to treat it

An ultrasound of the stomach will help clarify the diagnosis.

Plaque itself does not pose any threat to health. As soon as the underlying disease is cured, the condition of the tongue will return to normal.

As for gastritis, long-term treatment with careful adherence to the recommendations of a gastroenterologist will help relieve its symptoms.

Perhaps the doctor will conduct research aimed at clarifying the diagnosis: FGDS, ultrasound of the stomach, laboratory tests of blood and gastric juice. The following drugs will be prescribed as treatment:

Antibiotics of 2-4 types, taken in combination:
Pro- and prebiotics;
Vitamins;
Antacids;
Proton pump blockers.

Patients with gastritis must follow a strict diet aimed at sparing the gastric mucosa and not provoking the release of excessive amounts of hydrochloric acid. With this treatment, not only the gastric mucosa, but also the condition of the tongue will definitely return to normal.