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Painful Tongue
By admin | February 22, 2008
Some Lyme patients report the bothersome symptom of a painful, sore, or burning tongue.
In Chinese medicine, the tongue is thought to be the first harbinger of illness and disturbances in the body’s health. All acupunturists and Chinese medicine specialists examine the tongue during their assessment of a patient’s illness.
Causes
Medical textbooks list many causes for this symptom. Inflammation of the tongue, which can also include swelling, is termed glossitis. Anecdotally, Lyme disease patients have developed their own list of possible etiologies for this condition.
Allergic reactions - some Lyme disease patients believe that the often multiple medications and antibiotics used to treat this disease and coinfections in the setting of immune system dysregulation increases the risk for allergic reactions, which can include a swollen and sore tongue among other symptoms.
A type of severe allergic reaction marked by diffuse swelling of mucous membranes including the eyes, throat, and tongue is termed anaphylaxis and can be life-threatening.
Nerve inflammation - many Lyme patients suffer from neural invasion by the Borrelia organisms, including the nerves that supply the tongue (and also teeth). A common complaint by these patients is global mouth pain, including dental pain and tongue pain.
The sensory innervation of the anterior 2/3 of the tongue is the lingual branch of the mandibular division (V3) of the facial nerve (CN 7). All sensory fibers of the face, including fibers from the other cranial nerves such as the trigeminal nerve (CN5) travel to the trigeminal nucleus in the brainstem.
Lesions or inflammation anywhere along the lingual nerve to the trigeminal nucleus can cause tongue pain, depending on which specific fiber tracts are involved.
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Topics: Lyme Signs and Symptoms |