- Some people infected with the coronavirus may have “COVID tongue”.
- The condition can include a painful rash, swelling, or discoloration of the patient’s tongue.
- A UK researcher says it is critical to draw attention to “non-classic” symptoms of coronavirus, such as COVID tongue, that are not on official public health lists.
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As the pandemic progresses, experts are increasingly identifying symptoms that could indicate a coronavirus infection.
According to a researcher in the United Kingdom, “COVID sole” should be added to that growing list.
“Seeing an increasing number of COVID tongues and strange mouth ulcers,” said Tim Spector, an epidemiologist from King’s College London, tweeted earlier this month.
“COVID tongue” can include swelling, painful rash, or cuts on the sides of their tongue.
Spector later told NBC News that he had also heard of patients with a white or yellow “hairy coat” on their tongues.
—Tim Spector (@timspector) January 13, 2021
More research is needed to confirm whether “COVID tongue” could be a reliable litmus test for a coronavirus infection, Spector said, adding that very few people – less than one in 500 cases – have this symptom.
Mouth ulcers are also among the ‘common’ symptoms in COVID-19 cases
Multiple studies published last fall suggest that symptoms of “COVID tongue” also include ulcers.
Researchers from the Czech Republic documented 26 cases of people with mild or moderate COVID-19 who developed painful sores on their tongue between April and June.
Ulcers are open sores or breaks in the skin; The Czech scientists found up to seven half-centimeter ulcers in each patient, usually on the sides of the tongue. After prescribing antimicrobial mouthwash, the patients’ ulcers disappeared after one to two weeks.
An employee examines a patient in Wuhan, China, May 15, 2020.
Costfoto / Barcroft Media via Getty Images
Other findings from Spain suggested that mouth and tongue-related problems are “common” in COVID-19 cases and merit further investigation.
That study, published in the British Journal of Dermatology, found that a quarter of the 666 coronavirus patients who fell ill with mild or moderate COVID-19 at a field hospital in Madrid between April 10 and April 25 had problems with their mouth or tongue.
Some patients had rashes on their tongues, furrows on the sides of their tongues, or lost part of their papillae – the tiny bumps that give our tongue a rough texture and help us taste it.
Others developed mouth sores or had their tongue swollen.
An August study from Brazil documented eight cases of coronavirus with mouth ulcers and yellow, white and red sores on the patient’s lips and gums.
“Non-classic” COVID-19 symptoms are usually ignored
Neither the UK National Health System nor the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report “COVID tongue” as a coronavirus symptom.
A sore throat and loss of taste are the only mouth-related problems mentioned, although the CDC says the list “doesn’t cover all possible symptoms.”
But 20% of people have less common symptoms that aren’t on the official list, Spector said.
“Non-classic symptoms” of COVID-19 are usually ignored, including COVID tongue, rash and “COVID toes,” he added.
Some coronavirus patients report a scaly rash on their feet and purple, swollen toes that look like they are frozen – a condition that doctors have nicknamed “COVID toes.”
Other patients – especially those with long-lasting symptoms – have reported other skin problems, including hives, lesions, and itchy rashes all over their bodies.
An example of “COVID toes.”
Thanks to Dr. Lindy Fox
Mouth ulcers are a common symptom of other viruses such as hand, foot and mouth disease and herpes, so dentists who often examine people’s mouth and tongue are already looking for 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 is consistent with what it has heard from colleagues and partners about mouth and tongue problems from coronavirus patients.
“Oral health is an important and vital part of overall health, and the ADA continues to link the two studies related to COVID-19,” the association told NBC in a statement.