The tongue is rightly called the mirror of the digestive system, since by a change in its color, structure and by the presence of plaque, one can suspect the pathology of one or another internal organ.
Normally, in healthy people, a small amount of translucent plaque is present on the tongue, which is formed from food particles. But if a yellow coating appears on the tongue of a child or an adult, then this is a signal that cannot be ignored. In this case, it is necessary to consult a general practitioner or a gastroenterologist to be examined and determine the cause of this phenomenon.
We will try to explain to you why a yellow coating appears on the tongue and how to remove this unpleasant symptom.
What does yellow plaque on the tongue say in adults? This is probably one of the most frequent questions that can be found on medical forums. After noticing such an unpleasant phenomenon in himself, a person does not know why the tongue is yellow, what to do with it and which specialist to go to.
Let's consider each reason in more detail.
A yellow or yellowish coating on the tongue is very often indicative of diseases of the stomach or intestines.
In addition, according to the localization of plaque, it can be assumed which section of the digestive tube is affected. For example, a plaque on the root of the tongue means that the small and large intestines are affected at the same time, plaque on the central part of the tongue occurs with stomach ulcers or gastritis.
Plaque can also have teeth marks or cracks. In addition, the layers on the tongue are thin and thick.
Pathology of the liver and biliary tract are the most common reasons why yellow plaque appears on the tongue.
A yellow coating on the tongue, combined with yellowing of the skin, is called jaundice in medicine.
Yellow plaque in this case is explained by a violation of the formation and elimination of bilirubin from the body, which arise as a result of diseases of the liver parenchyma or blockage of the biliary tract. A large amount of bilirubin is dangerous to humans, as it poisons the body. For liver diseases, in addition to yellowing of the tongue, such symptoms like:
- bitterness in the mouth;
- yellowing of the sclera and skin;
- darkening of urine;
- discoloration of feces;
- general weakness;
- fast fatiguability;
- pain in the upper right half of the abdomen and others.
Most often, yellowing of the tongue and skin leads the following diseases of the hepatobiliary system:
- cholelithiasis;
- cirrhosis of the liver;
- liver cancer;
- metastatic liver damage;
- inflammation of the bile ducts;
- dyskinesia of the bile ducts;
- tumors of the Vater papilla and others.
As a result, we can conclude that for diseases of the liver and biliary tract there is a characteristic yellow and yellow-green coating on the tongue, which is combined with an enlarged liver, jaundice, pain in the right hypochondrium and bitterness in the mouth.
Therefore, when yellow layers appear on the tongue, first of all, it is necessary to examine the liver and bile ducts.
Diseases of the pancreas
Among the diseases that lead to the appearance of a yellow plaque on the tongue, one should single out a malignant neoplasm of the head of the pancreas, which squeezes the main bile duct and leads to stagnation of bile, and this, in turn, to hyperbilirubinemia and jaundice.
Diseases of the upper respiratory tract
Yellow plaque on the tongue with a cold is formed due to weakening of the immune system and the development of pathogenic microorganisms in the oral cavity. Also, patients often have a fever, which leads to dehydration and the appearance of plaque on the tongue.
A yellowish or slightly gray coating on the tongue can appear when taking antimicrobial and vitamin drugs, as well as cardiac glycosides.
But most often there is the formation of a yellow plaque on the tongue after antibiotics.
The tongue turns yellow after antibiotics due to the fact that they are processed mainly by the liver, as a result of which this organ cannot always cope with such a load.
As for the coated tongue after taking vitamins, then you should not worry.
Many vitamin preparations for oral administration contain a yellow dye, which stains the tongue.
Each medication has its own indications, contraindications and side effects, so you can take medication only as directed by your doctor.
Impact on the mucous membrane of the tongue of aggressive factors
A yellowish coating on the tongue can be the result of regular consumption of too hot or spicy food, as well as carbonated and alcoholic beverages.
In addition, the appearance of plaque can result from wearing braces or over-sized dentures that rub the tongue.
Inflammation of the tongue (glossitis)
Glossitis can be caused by some types of bacteria and fungi.
Also, no less often mothers are asked questions why the child has a yellow tongue.
The tongue in children can become covered with yellow layers for the same reasons as in adults. But before you start treating a child for any disease, you should exclude alimentary and household factors, namely:
- the introduction of complementary foods that can remain on the tongue;
- eating foods rich in karatine (carrots, persimmons, apricots, pumpkin and others);
- contamination of the tongue with yellow paint, felt-tip pen or pencil;
- abuse of caramels or soda that contain yellow dye.
Among the diseases that most often cause language overlapping in a child, hemolytic disease of the newborn can be distinguished, due to Rh and / or group conflict, biliary dyskinesia, giardiasis, infectious diseases, medication and dehydration.
Doctor Komarovsky in one of his programs says the following about plaque in the tongue: “A yellow coating on the tongue is not a disease, but a sign that the child does not have enough fluid. Dehydration of the body can develop due to dry air in the house, inadequate fluid intake or diseases that are accompanied by fever. "
Also, a coating of brown green, gray and other colors and shades may appear on the tongue. Let's consider their reasons.
Brown coating on the tongue: reasons
Brown plaque is most often seen in smokers, as the mucous membrane is impregnated with the tar of cigarette smoke.
There is also such a term as "hairy tongue", which is also often found in smokers. In this case, a yellow-brown coating on the tongue is combined with hypertrophy of the taste buds at the root.
From household and alimentary brown plaque on the tongue, one can name the use of a large amount of caffeine-containing drinks, chocolate, cola, gargling with Lugol's solution, potassium permanganate, resorption of Faringospet, as well as taking antibiotics and cytostatics.
From serious diseases, in which there may be a brown coating on the tongue, one can distinguish severe dehydration, poisoning of the body, dysbiosis, diabetes mellitus, Addison's disease and others.
Green plaque on the tongue: reasons
The reasons for the appearance of green plaque are also varied, namely:
- non-observance of oral hygiene;
- diseases of the digestive system;
- candidiasis;
- abuse of spicy, fried and fatty foods;
- immunodeficiency;
- taking antibiotics and immunosuppressants;
- HIV infection;
- unhealthy lifestyle (smoking, alcoholism, drug addiction);
- a sharp change in the habitat climate;
- hormonal changes during puberty and others.
A gray coating on the tongue most often signals dehydration of the body, diseases of the stomach and intestines, and a fungal infection of the digestive tract.
But also a plaque with a gray tinge on the tongue can appear in a healthy person in the morning after sleep, especially if the air in the room where he slept was dry.
Yellow plaque on the tongue: what to do?
A yellow plaque on the tongue of a child is a serious reason to consult a pediatrician, who, if necessary, will refer the patient to an appropriate specialist: a gastroenterologist, an infectious disease doctor, an endocrinologist and others.
But a pediatrician should be asked for help not only when a yellow plaque appears, since a healthy child should not have gray, brown or green layers on the tongue.
The appearance of yellow, green, brown, white or white-yellow plaque on the tongue in an adult is a signal that he should consult a physician. The doctor will conduct a comprehensive examination of the body and determine why the tongue is covered with plaque.
Depending on what disease led to the fact that the tongue became covered with a yellow coating, the patient will be referred by a general practitioner to a narrow specialist.
Only a specialist can give competent recommendations on how to remove yellow plaque from the tongue after a comprehensive examination of the body, since this problem can be dealt with only by eliminating its cause. In addition, each case should have an individual approach.
In the process of diagnosing the causes of yellow plaque in the tongue, you may need the following studies:
- general blood analysis;
- general urine analysis;
- blood chemistry;
- coprogram;
- analysis of feces for dysbiosis;
- ultrasound examination of the abdominal organs and others.
Only after there is a known cause of plaque in the tongue, they begin to treat it.
With liver disease, patients are prescribed medications that improve the passage of bile and prevent the formation of calculi in the biliary tract. The drugs of choice in this case can be Alohol, Corn silk, Holenzim, Holagon, Holosas and others. Antispasmodics (No-shpa, Drotaverin, Atropine) can also be used, which will relieve spasm of the bile ducts and expand them.
In case of hepatitis, hepatoprotectors such as Karsil, Essentiale, Heptral, Gepabene and others must be included in the complex therapy.
If the liver damage has a viral etiology, then antiviral drugs such as Viferon, Intron, human interferon and others will be required.
With a fungal infection of the digestive tract, which caused plaque on the tongue, antifungal drugs are prescribed, namely: Fluconazole, Nystatin, Griseofulvin, Mycostat and others.
When the body is dehydrated, it is necessary to replenish the water balance, that is, to rehydrate the body with the help of abundant drinking of water or electrolyte solutions, and, if necessary, to carry out infusion therapy.
In case of intoxication of the body, detoxification therapy will be carried out, which consists in taking enterosorbents (activated and white coal, Atoxil, Enterosgel) and infusion of solutions such as Rheosorbilact, saline sodium chloride solution, Disol, Ringer-Locke's solution and others.
Now you know what yellow plaque on the tongue is, its causes and treatment. We would be grateful for your comments on this topic. Tell us if you or your child ever had a yellow coating on their tongue and how you dealt with it.
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