Strawberry tongue: symptoms, causes and risks of complications

The tongue is one of the most important organs in the body. Apart from helping you chew and digest food, the tongue also helps you speak. Even so, there are many problems and disorders that can attack the tongue. One of them is the strawberry tongue. It sounds cute, but strawberry tongue shouldn't be underestimated.

What is strawberry tongue?

Strawberry tongue is a condition of the tongue that is bright red like a strawberry (normally the tongue is pink, aka pink) and the large porous surface of the strawberry fruit. In most cases, the tongue first displays a pale white patch before finally changing color.

Apart from changes in the appearance and color of the tongue, strawberry tongue also causes the tongue to swell to enlarge and feel irritated pain. There may also be other accompanying symptoms, depending on what caused the strawberry tongue.

What causes strawberry tongue?

There are many conditions that can trigger a strawberry tongue.

Kawasaki disease

Kawasaki disease causes inflammation of the walls of blood vessels in the body. This disease can cause the tongue to turn red accompanied by red eyes, high fever, and a skin rash until it peels off. Kawasaki disease usually affects children.

Scarlet Fever

Scarlet fever is a disease caused by group A streptococcal bacterial infection that causes sore throat. Scarlet fever often affects children aged 5-15 years.

In most of these cases, the person experiencing it will have a white tongue before turning into a strawberry. In the next few days, the tongue will look like a strawberry.

Other symptoms of Scarlet fever are:

• Many red rashes appear all over the body.
• Red face.
• High fever.
• Sore throat.
• Headache.
• There are red streaks in the skin folds, for example in the groin.

Food or drug allergies

In some cases, a tongue like a strawberry can also be a sign that you are allergic to drugs or something you eat. This allergy will be accompanied by other symptoms:

• Itchy or watery eyes
• Mouth feels rough
• Difficulty breathing
• Rashes on the skin

Doctors usually give antihistamines to help relieve swelling and redness that occurs.

Toxic Shock Syndrome

Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) is a condition caused by the release of toxic substances from the Staphylococcus aureus bacteria found in a woman's vagina. This syndrome often attacks women who are menstruating using tampons.

In addition to causing the tongue to become red and swollen like a strawberry, toxic shock syndrome also causes:

• A sudden high fever
• Nauseous vomit
• Diarrhea
• Headache
• Body feels itchy

This syndrome is rare, but can have a very fatal impact.

Vitamin deficiency

Lack of vitamin B12 and folic acid can cause the tongue to appear strawberry fruit. Other symptoms include:

• Fatigue
• Limp
• Numbness or tingling sensation
• Difficulty maintaining balance

Can complications occur?

Strawberry tongue can be very painful. You may also have difficulty chewing or swallowing food and drinks.

The complications also depend on the cause. If caused by Kawasaki disease or Scarlet fever, inflammation in the body can spread to the heart, brain, joints, skin, possibly even causing kidney disease and severe ear infections.

Therefore, the strawberry tongue must be treated immediately. Treatment depends on the cause that occurred.