Pernicious anemia causes the tongue's surface to look smooth and appear red instead of the pinkish color of a normal tongue. The tongue might also appear thick or beefy in texture. Some tongues might even be swollen or seem to have cracks.
One large sign of anemia is called anemia tongue. It is typically characterized by an inflamed or swollen tongue in multiple shades of red. Other signs include impaired chewing, swallowing or speaking abilities, tongue pain or tenderness.
Iron deficiency can affect the surface of your tongue making it feel sore for no apparent reason. Likewise, you may have an uncomfortably dry mouth even if you have been drinking plenty of liquids.
Anemia tongue or glossitis is a condition that causes pain and changes in the tongue's appearance. This condition has many underlying causes, including infections, adverse medication reactions, dental trauma, and nutritional deficiencies.
Iron deficiency anemia may cause symptoms in the mouth, although they are less common than other symptoms, such as tiredness and lack of energy. Mouth symptoms of anemia may include pale gums, mouth ulcers, and food tasting unusual.
Deficiencies in B6 or B12 may lead to a swollen, sore or yellow tongue, along with teeth indentations and fissures on the surface of the tongue. Iron: An iron deficiency can lead to a swollen tongue and painful sores in the mouth.
Nutritional deficiencies include iron, folate and vitamin B12 deficiency. B12 deficiency will also make the tongue sore and beefy-red in color. Glossitis, by causing swelling of the tongue, may also cause the tongue to appear smooth.
Eye symptoms of low iron can include a pale coloring of the inside of the lower eyelids. In moderate or severe cases of iron deficiency anemia, the inside layer of the lower eyelid is very pale pink or yellow instead of red. Rather than low iron, one common cause of blurry vision is dry eye.
Fatigue. Tiring easily, and waking up tired even after a good night's sleep, are common and potentially serious symptoms of anemia. This is due to reduced and compromised red blood cells that naturally cannot carry the required levels of oxygen to the organs – which, in turn, cannot function efficiently.
If not properly managed, anemia can cause long-lasting damage to your teeth, gums, throat, and mouth.
Extreme fatigue. Weakness. Pale skin. Chest pain, fast heartbeat or shortness of breath.
Tiredness, seemingly unexplainable weight gain and headaches can all be symptoms of iron deficiency.
Koilonychia is an abnormal shape of the fingernail. The nail has raised ridges and is thin and curved inward. This disorder is associated with iron deficiency anemia.
— A doctor can quickly get an idea of whether someone is anemic by pulling down the person's eyelid and judging its redness, a color indicating the number of red blood cells.
Studies have found that vitamin D deficiency can lead to burning mouth syndrome, which is a painful condition that leads to a burning, scalding, or tingling feeling in the mouth, especially on the tongue.
Nutritional deficiencies such as vitamin B and iron deficiencies causes the conditions like recurrent aphthous stomatitis, atrophic glossitis, or a painful, burning tongue which is characterized by inflammation and defoliation of the tongue [7, 10, 14].
Zinc deficiency can manifest as non-specific oral ulceration, stomatitis (painful mouth) or white tongue coating. Rarely, it can cause angular cheilitis (sores at the corners of the mouth) and burning mouth syndrome (mouth or tongue soreness).
Foods to avoid
milk and some dairy products. foods that contain tannins, such as grapes, corn, and sorghum. foods that contain phytates or phytic acid, such as brown rice and whole-grain wheat products. foods that contain oxalic acid, such as peanuts, parsley, and chocolate.
Symptoms of anemia are diverse and can include fatigue, weakness, lightheadedness, headache, pallor or jaundice, tachycardia, palpitations, chest pain, dyspnea, cold distal extremities, and claudication. These signs and symptoms vary in prevalence and magnitude.