The tongue is red! Beware of the antics of strawberry tongue.

The weather is changeable. If your tongue is red, beware of "strawberry tongue"! The doctor said that the redness of the tongue taste buds or the whitening of the tongue coating are mostly caused by bacteria or viruses. Clinically, it is common in preschool children, and most of them are endemic to scarlet fever or Kawasaki disease. Although there are no large-scale epidemic cases at present, good living habits, frequent hand washing and drinking more water are still the best ways to stay away from "strawberry tongue".

Your tongue is red. Be careful of the warning signs on your body. The doctor said that the redness of the tongue taste buds or the whitening of the tongue coating are mostly caused by viruses. (Photo/Huang Zhiwen) Dr. Huang, director of the Department of Infectious Diseases, Children's Hospital Affiliated to China Medical University, pointed out that "strawberry tongue" is more common in patients with early scarlet fever or Kawasaki disease. The main cause of scarlet fever is Streptococcus A virus, which secretes red toxin, resulting in local rash or erythema on the whole body skin.

At the beginning of this year 1 month, 1 children, aged 13 years old, were admitted to the Children's Hospital of China Medical University. When he came to see a doctor with a fever, it seemed obvious that the strawberry tongue had come out, his mouth looked very white, there were obvious horizontal stripes at the bend of his elbow, and his skin felt like sandpaper. These are typical features of scarlet fever.

Scarlet fever can be spread by droplets or contact. It often causes fever, sore throat and other symptoms similar to a cold. Clinically, the tongue coating is often white, and the tongue taste buds are plump and red, like strawberries. Although there is no pain, the symptoms of fever are obvious and can be relieved by antibiotics. Therefore, it is necessary to remind the public to develop the habit of washing their hands frequently, do a good job of personal hygiene and prevent diseases from coming to their homes.

Chief physician Huang (left) stressed that the redness of tongue taste buds or the whitening of tongue coating are mostly caused by bacteria or viruses. (Photo courtesy of Children's Hospital Affiliated to China Medical University) Scarlet fever is similar to Kawasaki disease.

In addition, the rare Kawasaki disease is also prone to clinical symptoms of "red tongue". Although the cause is not clear, it is generally suspected that it is related to viral infection, which mostly occurs in children under 5 years old. Clinical symptoms include high fever lasting for more than 5 days, swelling of oral mucosa, strawberry tongue and lips, chapped and even bleeding, swollen lymph glands in the neck, various rashes and peeling all over the body.

Chief physician Huang stressed that Kawasaki disease patients usually improve their condition within 2 weeks, but a few children will develop coronary artery disease. If left untreated, the coronary artery may expand into an aneurysm, and myocardial infarction or even sudden death may occur in the future. However, in recent years, due to early detection and treatment progress, the mortality rate of children with Kawasaki disease in Taiwan Province Province has dropped to about 0.03%.

However, it is worth noting that the initial symptoms of scarlet fever are similar to Kawasaki disease, and it is very likely to be misdiagnosed. Parents and primary pediatricians should be vigilant. If the child's high fever persists, in addition to "strawberry tongue" as a clinical indicator, other related tests should be further done to determine the diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible.