By A. Pawlowski - NBC News
A possible new symptom of the coronavirus is under the magnifying glass of the researchers: the one baptized as "COVID language".
A British scientist has reported cases of infected people complaining of tongue discoloration, swelling and other oral problems.
“I am seeing an increasing number of COVID-19 tongues and weird mouth ulcers
.
If you have a strange symptom or even just a headache and fatigue, stay home! "Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at King's College London, warned on Twitter.
Spector believes that one in three COVID-19 patients suffers from hitherto uncommon symptoms of the disease in the first three days, so it is important to draw attention to skin rashes and other symptoms that are "ignored," he wrote.
[This vaccination center was opened for Latinos, but whites from other neighborhoods hoard the doses]
In any case, it estimates that less than 1 in every 500 patients has a "COVID-19 tongue
,
"
which is characterized by
a "rough coat" that may be white or yellow and cannot be removed with a brush; and ridges on the sides of the tongue.
The pathology can be painful.
"It's a good reminder that there are so many different manifestations of this virus beyond the classic ones," the researcher told NBC News.
"The whole question of why we have this wide variety of virus symptoms is still unknown," he
added.
Until more data is available, it is too early to add "COVID-19 tongue" to an official list of symptoms, but dentists, oral surgeons and other doctors who examine the inside of the mouth should know that it could be one of the first signs of infection, according to the scientist.
[The CDC enforces the use of the mask in public transportation starting Tuesday]
Other researchers have also reported tongue and mouth symptoms related to the new coronavirus.
A study with 666 patients with COVID-19 in Spain revealed "findings in the oral cavity" of 78 of them, according to a study published in the British Journal of Dermatology.
Of that group, 11% suffered from inflammation of the small bumps on the surface of the tongue;
6% had swollen and inflamed tongue with indentations on the sides;
6% had mouth ulcers;
4% had "patchy" areas on the tongue;
and 4% endured tissue swelling.
Signs of 'covid tongue' include swelling on the surface of the tongue, swelling or indentations on the sides. British Association of Dermatologists / John Wiley and Sons
The oral cavity "deserves a specific examination in appropriate circumstances to avoid the risk of contagion," the study authors wrote.
Tongue or mouth problems, in addition to a sore throat, do not appear on the list of coronavirus symptoms compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, for its acronym in English), although the agency acknowledged that it still he is learning as time passes.
After all, the loss of smell and taste seemed to be a strange symptom at first, but it is now considered one of the most common manifestations and is on the list.
[Latino COVID-19 deaths in Los Angeles skyrocket 1,000% since November]
Other sensations yet to be confirmed include "bubbling," a tingling sensation reported by some infected patients.
Will the "language of COVID-19" be placed in a similar category?
"Keep fighting, son": the challenge of saving babies sick with COVID-19 in Mexico
Jan. 29, 202102: 30
"This is in tune with all things coronavirus," said Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee.
"When he burst onto the scene, as I like to put it figuratively, we opened our medical textbooks on COVID and there were only blank pages
,
" he
recalled.
Schaffner has not seen cases of the "COVID-19 tongue," but has heard of it.
The mouth may not be vulnerable to the new coronavirus, but the coronavirus can create an immune response with which viruses such as cold sores or herpes simplex type 1, which cause an infection of the lips, mouth or gums, can be activated , according to Schaffner.
Researchers have yet to determine if the mouth and tongue problems are actually related to COVID-19, he added.
[Johnson & Johnson says its vaccine is 72% effective against COVID-19]
"Each person reacts differently to different illnesses," explained Dr. Waleed Javaid, director of infection prevention and control at Mount Sinai Downtown Hospital in New York.
But I would not consider the "COVID tongue" as a symptom to diagnose the disease for now as it appears to occur in a very small proportion of people, he concluded.
The American Dental Association reported that it has been investigating oral conditions experienced by COVID-19 patients since the beginning of the pandemic.
The study published in the British Journal of Dermatology is in line with what ADA researchers have heard from their colleagues and partners, he noted.
[What coronavirus vaccines are available and who can get them]
"Oral health is an important and vital part of overall health
, and the ADA continues to examine the connection to COVID-19," the association said in a statement.
The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery could not immediately comment on whether COVID-19 patients have reported mouth and tongue problems.