COVID tongue rash, mouth ulcers may be symptoms of coronavirus

• Some people infected with the coronavirus might have a “COVID tongue”.
• The condition can involve a painful rash, swelling, or discoloration on the patients’ tongue.
• A British researcher said it was essential to draw attention to ‘unconventional’ coronavirus symptoms such as COVID language that are not on official public health lists.
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As the pandemic progresses, experts are identifying more and more symptoms that could signal a coronavirus infection.

According to a researcher in the UK, “COVID tongue” should be added to this growing list.

“Seeing a growing number of COVID tongues and strange mouth ulcers,” Tim Spector, an epidemiologist at King’s College London, tweeted earlier this month.

“COVID tongue” can involve swelling, a painful rash, or indentations on the sides of the tongue.

Spector later told NBC News that he had also heard of patients with a white or yellow “fur coat” on their tongue.

: Tim Spector (@timspector) January 13, 2021

More research is needed to confirm whether the “COVID tongue” could be a reliable litmus test for coronavirus infection, Spector said, adding that very few people – less than 1 in 500 – had this symptom.

Oral ulcers are also among the symptoms ‘frequently involved’ in COVID-19 cases

Several studies published last fall suggest that symptoms of “COVID tongue” also include ulcers.

Researchers from the Czech Republic have documented 26 cases of people with mild to moderate COVID-19 who developed painful ulcers on the tongue between April and June.

Ulcers are open sores or breaks in the skin; Czech scientists have found up to seven ulcers half a centimeter long on each patient, usually on the sides of the tongue. Following a prescription for antimicrobial mouthwash, patients’ ulcers resolved within one to two weeks.

Costfoto / Barcroft Media via Getty Images

Other results from Spain suggest that mouth and tongue issues are “frequently implicated” in COVID-19 cases and merit further examination.

This study, published in the British Journal of Dermatology, found that a quarter of the 666 coronavirus patients who had mild or moderate COVID-19 at a Madrid field hospital between April 10 and April 25 had problems mouth or tongue.

Some patients had developed rashes on the top of their tongue, grooves on the sides of their tongue, or had lost some of their taste buds – the tiny bumps that give our tongues a rough texture and help us taste.

Others have developed mouth ulcers or had swollen tongues.

An August study in Brazil documented eight cases of coronavirus involving mouth ulcers and yellow, white and red sores on the patient’s lips and gums.

‘Unconventional’ COVID-19 symptoms tend to be ignored

Neither the UK’s National Health System nor the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting “COVID tongue” as a symptom of coronavirus.

A sore throat and loss of taste are the only mouth-related problems listed, although the CDC says its list “does not include all possible symptoms.”

But 20% of people have less common symptoms that aren’t on the official list, Spector said.

“Unconventional symptoms” of COVID-19 tend to be ignored, including COVID tongue, rashes and “COVID toes,” he added.

Some coronavirus patients report scaly rashes on their feet and purple, swollen toes that appear to have been frozen – a condition doctors have dubbed “COVID toes.”

Other patients – especially those with persistent symptoms – have reported other skin problems, including hives, sores and itchy rashes all over the body.

Courtesy of Dr Lindy Fox

Mouth ulcers are a common symptom of other viruses like hand disease, foot-and-mouth disease, and herpes, so dentists who frequently examine people’s mouths and tongues have already been on the lookout for of these symptoms in their patients during the pandemic.

The American Dental Association (ADA) told NBC News that the study published in the British Journal of Dermatology matches what she has heard from colleagues and partners about mouth and tongue issues in coronavirus patients. .

“Oral health is an important and vital part of overall health, and the ADA continues to examine the link between the two with respect to COVID-19,” the association told NBC in a statement .