Swollen Tongue Causes
Swelling of the tongue and inflammation or soreness in the area is not uncommon. This could be caused by a variety of conditions and the treatment in every situation would depend on the precise cause of swelling and soreness. Indentifying the precise causes of any ailment or disease is crucial to finding an effective cure or treatment for the condition. This holds true in the case of swelling in the mouth as well. Gum disease like gingivitis and conditions like tonsillitis could be some of the causes of a swollen tongue and sore throat. Anemia, cancer, oral herpes, and canker sores could also cause outbreaks of sores or ulcers that appear like bumps on the tongue. All of these conditions have different causes and the treatment for tongue pain and inflammation will therefore defer in each scenario, based on the cause. While it may be possible to treat some of these conditions at home with natural remedies, it is not always possible to make a diagnosis and choose the appropriate line of treatment, which is why a visit to the doctor may be in the offing.
While a swollen tongue accompanied by a sore throat, inflammation of glands and lips would indicate that the swelling of the tongue is symptomatic of some underlying condition, most cases of inflammation and soreness of the tongue are caused by trauma or injury as a result of biting down on the tongue. Eating or drinking excessively hot foods or fluids also may be a culprit as this can do considerable damage leaving you with a burning tongue, swollen taste buds, swollen tonsils, and swollen gums. Heavy smoking simply aggravates problems of this nature and will leave your tongue feeling worse and also make it a lot more vulnerable to such injuries. A swollen tongue after piercing wouldn’t be surprising, but if persistent should be treated seriously as it could indicate some infection.
Swollen lymph nodes are another common cause for swelling in the area and there could be various possible causes. The lymph nodes are basically part of your lymphatic system and help in fighting off infections. There may be some swelling of the lymph nodes when your body is fighting off an infection. Canker sores are the most common cause of swelling and inflammation on the tongue, after trauma, or probably on par with trauma. Canker sores resolve naturally and only remain for a limited period of time. There is however a chance of recurrence, but the exact causes of the condition are not clearly understood, although most experts do link it to stress and fatigue.
In some cases of inflammation of the tongue the cause may even be attributed to hypothyroidism, glossitis or thrush; although most common in babies, thrush can also affect adults. Treatment of gum or tongue swelling is therefore not very complicated and at the most you would require some advice and a diagnosis from your doctor. Some conditions like canker sores or even ulcers from bites will even heal without intervention. In the rarest of cases swelling of the tongue may attributed to something a lot more threatening like tongue cancer.
A swollen tongue can be very frustrating and inconvenient for anybody to experience. Some basic actions like communication and consumption of food and liquids make the tongue a very important factor in a person’s daily life. The tongue is also involved in deciphering tastes and contains muscles that help it change formation to aid in eating as well as changing the form of the tongue to help pronounce certain words. A swelling of the tongue should be taken very seriously because the swelling can spread towards the back and into the throat. In such cases, it could, either partially or completely, block the air passage and the patient could eventually die after experiencing an intense problem in breathing.
A swelling of the tongue can occur for a variety of reason ranging from a simple infection of the tongue to a symptom for hyperthyroidism or a tumor. It can also be caused by a hereditary condition known as hereditary angioedema. Since it is a hereditary condition, asking family members if they have experienced a swelling of the tongue due to this in the past, would prove useful in diagnosis for the underlying cause.
One of the most common causes for a swelling of the tongue, however, is because of an allergy. When the tongue swells up because of a food allergy, it is usually accompanied by a host of other symptoms that include, but are not restricted to – hives, intense itching, a serious swelling of the entire face and vomiting. In the event swelling was brought on by a food allergy, it is important to make a mental note of the ingredient or fruit / vegetable that caused the episode as an abstinence from that food item will prevent future reactions.
Other triggers that could be responsible for tongue swelling (or angioedema) are environmental factors like a change in temperature or a physical wound on the tongue. Symptoms noticed when a person has angioedema (not necessarily triggered by a food allergy) include: areas that swell up and become painful and itchy, red welts around the hands but more commonly found around the eyes and lips, discolored patches on the skin, rashes found in areas like the genitals, hands and feet.
Swollen Tongue Treatment
A Swollen tongue can be treated at home with a simple remedy of a liquid solution of turmeric and water used to gargle at least twice a day. This has proved to be particularly helpful in reducing the inflammation.
