What is glossitis B12 deficiency?
Living in the modern world might make you think that everyone can have a healthy meal easily as there is a lot of information on healthy food and ways to get it. However, we can see that many people are actually lacking nutrition as they tend to eat unhealthy food or have an unhealthy life. This has led to diseases that were not so obvious in the old days, to resurface on this day. In this DoctorOnCall’s, article, we will learn about one of the diseases caused by modern day nutrition issues which is glossitis.
Glossitis may be a new word for you. You may be surprised to know that glossitis is derived from the word glossus which is always referred to tongue. Thus, glossitis is commonly stated as inflammation of the tongue. Glossitis in general can be presented as painful tongue, visible changes to the surface of the tongue or even both.
Symptoms of glossitis may occur without any reasons but may also be caused by certain conditions. Common symptoms are pain to the tongue and changes in tongue such as surfaces and colour. Swelling and tenderness may be found in the tongue. At times, patients might have difficulty chewing, swallowing and speaking as usual.
Glossitis itself can be caused by many causes. Apart from nutrition issues such as vitamin deficiency, it can be caused by anaemia, autoimmune disease such as infections such as from bacteria, virus, fungus or parasite and medications. Glossitis may also be caused by lifestyle or environmental factors such as exposure to irritants from food such as tobacco or spicy food and certain mental disorders. Due to the many causes for glossitis, from here on we will be only focusing on glossitis caused by vitamin B12 deficiency.
Do you know what vitamin B12 is? Vitamin B12 is part of the 8 types of vitamin B. The human body needs this specific vitamin to produce red blood cells, nerves and many other functions. A healthy adult needs 2.4 micrograms of vitamin B12 daily. The human body is unable to produce most vitamins, including vitamin B12. Thus, humans need to get vitamin B12 either from food or supplements.
How is vitamin B12 deficiency linked with modern life issues? People nowadays are always on the go, meaning they often do not eat well. This means they eat less food that contains high vitamin B12 such as red meat, seafood, dairy and eggs. Vegetarian diets also can contribute to this issue. This is why it is no surprise that people may resort to taking vitamin supplements to make up for the inadequate nutrition needed by the body. It is important to take note that before taking any supplements, it is best to get medical advice, especially if you already have other chronic medical problems or are taking medications.
You may wonder, how does vitamin B12 deficiency cause glossitis? Vitamin B12 is needed for production of red blood cells. All of our body parts need blood supply to perform its function. Thus, when vitamin B12 deficiency occurs, it causes reduction to the red blood cell. Eventually, this will reduce the amount of oxygen reaching the tongue. This causes changes to the tongue’s appearance and colour.
Glossitis in general does not need specific treatment. Though the symptoms can cause discomfort, it is easily solved with good oral hygiene and mouth rinses that contain corticosteroid and lidocaine. In cases of severe vitamin B12 deficiency, injection of vitamin B12 may be required. Otherwise, oral vitamin supplementation is enough to ease symptoms. Avoiding irritants such as hot and/or spicy food can reduce the symptoms and prevent future episodes of glossitis. Alcohol and tobacco usage should also be avoided as it not only causes irritation to the tongue but also is bad to the whole human body. Remember that there are many causes of glossitis? Treatment may be needed in certain conditions such as glossitis caused by medications which patients are advised to stop taking medications that may have caused the symptoms.
In order to find the causes of glossitis, doctors may need to do more than evaluating the tongue itself. Doctors may also ask questions regarding a patient’s diet and lifestyle. They may also ask about symptoms of other health diseases associated with glossitis. In certain cases, doctors may proceed with tests such as blood tests to check for signs of vitamin deficiency, blood disorder or hormone issues. Some cases such as chronic or unchanging lesions may require a doctor to perform biopsy to ensure that there is no malignancy.
In essence, glossitis is the inflammation of the tongue. There are many causes that can lead to glossitis, one of them is vitamin B12 deficiency. Glossitis in most cases are considered mild and can be serious to the extent of causing difficulty to eat and talk. It is best to get checked by a doctor if glossitis occurs frequently or for a long time.
