2023-07-15 12:28:04
A 64-year-old smoker saw his tongue turn green and hairy following taking antibiotics for a gum infection. Doctors do not yet know if there is a link between the consumption of drugs, cigarettes and oral discoloration.
An impressive phenomenon, but harmless. THE New England Journal of Medecine published an atypical medical case where a patient’s tongue turned green and hairy following taking antibiotics that were supposed to cure gum inflammation.
After noticing the discoloration of his tongue, the 64-year-old went to see a doctor. He told her that he was a smoker and that he had completed a course of clindamycin three weeks earlier. The latter, suspecting a fungus, first prescribed him an antifungal, which proved to be ineffective.
In the end, the specialists diagnosed him with “hairy tongue” syndrome, which is characterized by an abnormal coating on the dorsal area. Except that it is not hair in the strict sense of the term, but dead skin from the taste buds that have not managed to be eliminated. They can thus accumulate and measure several millimeters in length.
However, doctors have not been able to determine if there is a causal link between taking the drugs, his smoking status and the formation of these hairs. However, both cigarettes and antibiotics disrupt the mouth microbiome, allowing bacteria to collect on the tongue.
Hairy tongue syndrome is mild and very rarely causes a burning sensation. It also affects up to 13% of Americans, according to theAmerican Academy of Oral Medecine. Typically, the tongue turns black, but it can also turn yellow, brown, or green as in this specific case.
To cure it, doctors advised the 64-year-old to rub the affected part of his tongue with a toothbrush four times a day. Thus, she returned to normal following six months of care.
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