Man develops 'carpet of hair' on his tongue: 'Dark and furry'
A man has developed a black tongue with a "carpet of hair" after suffering a stroke and subsequently being put on a diet of pureed food.
The 54-year-old man, from Kerala, India, had had a stroke three months prior and was placed on a diet of soft foods, oral antiplatelets and anti-hypertensives.
Bacteria on his tongue resulted in a thick carpet of dead skin which appears black and hairy.
His caregivers noticed the pigmentation developing and took him to a dermatologist.
At this point, the patient -– who is paralysed on his left side and is unable to chew properly -– was described as "weak".
The team of doctors, led by Dr Puravoor Jayasree, took samples of mucus from the patient, which revealed he was suffering from lingua villosa nigra — a condition often attributed to poor oral hygiene.
The strange case was documented in the Jama Dermatology Journal.
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"Three months prior he had experienced a cerebrovascular incident with dense hemiplegia, and his caregivers first noticed the black pigmentation over the dorsum of the tongue 15 days before presentation," the report reads.
"He was being fed a diet of pureed food and liquids and was taking oral antiplatelets and antihypertensive.
"The patient and caregivers were given advice regarding proper cleansing measures, and the discolouration resolved after 20 days.
"Black hairy tongue is a temporary and harmless condition that makes the tongue turn dark and furry."
Jam Press/Australscope
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