Cheilitis is an isolated inflammatory process in the area of the mucous membrane, skin and red border of the lips. Outwardly it looks like swelling with redness and peeling of tissue. It can be an independent disease or a symptomatic manifestation of other pathologies. Sooner or later, almost every person encounters it, but at a young age the disease is noticeably milder, recurs less often and has no complications. In older people, due to a weakened immune system, periodic relapses of cheilitis can cause malignant tissue degeneration.
Causes
Cheilitis is a polymorphic and multifactorial disease that can be triggered by infections, physical and chemical environmental factors, as well as internal characteristics of the body. Among them:
- constant exposure to the open air - inflammation and peeling of the lips occurs when chapped by hot or cold air, excessive insolation;
- the presence of chronic diseases with skin manifestations of symptoms - various types of dermatitis, psoriasis, lupus erythematosus, lichen planus, syphilis, etc.;
- allergic reactions of the body - mainly with food allergies;
- tissue irritation from regular exposure to chemicals, including medications (for example, nasal drops);
- various neurological disorders, severe stressful situations, depression, constant anxiety;
- endocrine abnormalities - primarily hyperfunction of the thyroid gland, diabetes mellitus.
Causes and contributing factors for the appearance of cracks
The first reasons for the development of cracks in the corners of the mouth are red spots in the corners of the lips. Soreness will follow.
The appearance of cracks is influenced by various factors. They are infectious, traumatic or fungal in nature, etc.
Traumatic
A wound on the edges of the lips occurs after a visit to the dentist. If the doctor used the instruments aggressively, then damage will not be long in coming. With frequent visits to the dentist, angulitis does not have time to drag on. Problems are often observed with constant wearing of a prosthesis.
It is the corners of the lips that suffer due to friction of the structure. If the lips are prone to dryness, clefts occur when screaming, yawning, or passionate kissing. You can find out the cause of such a seizure by remembering a recent trip to the doctor.
Infectious
Injury due to improper hygiene. With chronic trauma to the corners of the mouth, infections occur. Whether children or adults, everyone can be affected by the germ. This is facilitated by a reluctance to wash hands and put dirty objects in the mouth. Those who do not brush their teeth often experience angular wounds.
If dirt gets on your lips, the inflamed area becomes crusty and begins to bleed. Almost always the wound goes to the pharynx and chin.
Fungal infections
Candidiasis on the corners of the mouth is called “yeast infection” among specialists. Fungi multiply after a recent cold, diabetes, and gastrointestinal pathologies.
Long-term use of antibiotics also contributes to their occurrence. In this case, whitish erosion is observed, the plaque from which is removed by scraping.
Initial manifestations of syphilis
With this disease, a hard lump is disguised as cheilitis. This is an element of the initial stage of the disease. If left untreated, it will turn into secondary syphilis.
Angulitis becomes covered with a grayish coating without pain when touched. When a streptococcal infection occurs, the chancre becomes painful even when opening the mouth. A thickening occurs in the affected area.
Tuberculosis
Adult patients sometimes develop clefts in the corners of the lips. It signals active pulmonary tuberculosis. The person’s condition is serious, so such manifestations do not attract attention.
In this case, the ulcer on the corners of the mouth will be painful with undermined edges. The condition is unsatisfactory.
Bad habits
The appearance of clefts in the corners of the mouth is caused by habits such as licking, drinking alcohol, and smoking. In addition, regularly keeping foreign objects in the oral cavity contributes to the development of angular stomatitis.
With uncontrolled consumption of strong drinks, the body is weakened, which provokes an exacerbation of diseases in remission. They also affect the integrity of the skin. After stopping bad habits, seizures stop appearing.
Allergic, weather
Allergy to toothpaste, lipstick; extreme heat and wind can cause cracks to appear. If seizures occur against the background of these factors, then the skin around the ulcer will peel off.
Hypovitaminosis
A common cause of cheilitis is a lack of vitamin B2. Hypovitaminosis occurs if there are problems with the intestines and poor absorption of the beneficial element.
Vitamin deficiency can also be accompanied by clefts. With a severe lack of them in the body, ulcers spread to the lips, swelling, redness, and inflammation of the tongue appear.
General diseases
Angular cheilitis is a symptom of iron deficiency. If there are problems with the endocrine system and the presence of HIV infection, the cause of angulitis is the proliferation of yeast fungi.
It is easy to recognize such pathologies:
- Anemia – weakness, pale skin, light mucous membrane in the mouth, burning tongue;
- Endocrine pathologies – dry mucous membranes, gum problems;
- HIV – oral candidiasis, ulcerative gingivitis.
Atopic cheilitis
If a schoolchild often suffers from inflammation, and his parents also struggled with this in adolescence, then we are talking about atopic cheilitis. The disease belongs to neurodermatology, occurring due to hormonal imbalances and abnormalities in the functioning of the nervous system.
Such a jam develops together with redness and small clefts in the middle. The ulcer is red, the lips are swollen and dry.
Chronic recurrent fissure of the corner of the mouth
A chronic fissure occurs against the background of general pathologies and neurogenic mechanisms. Psycho-emotional trauma often contributes to this. The crack becomes covered with a red, soft crust with slight pain. The psychosomatics of the disease is diagnosed by a qualified doctor.
Cracks in the corners of the mouth are a sign of a lack of nutrients. This is easy to recognize by the presence of weakness, increased fatigue, and intense hair loss.
Types of cheilitis
Manifestations of cheilitis may vary depending on the type and cause of the disease. There are:
- Exfoliative cheilitis - manifested by peeling of the red border of the lips, with rare areas of burning and dryness of the lips themselves.
- Exudative cheilitis - symptoms of the disease are supplemented by swelling and severe pain. The skin in inflamed areas may become covered with baked crusts, which greatly complicate the patient’s life.
- The glandular form affects the minor salivary glands. Their congenital or acquired proliferation is observed, followed by infection with bacteria. In this case, the source of infection can be caries, periodontitis or banal plaque. Outwardly it manifests itself as the formation of cracks on the surface of the lips, which begin to become wet over time.
- The allergic form occurs under the influence of household, cosmetic or food irritants (often this is lipstick). There are characteristic manifestations of allergic cheilitis in musicians who play wind instruments and in those who like to chew pencils. This type of inflammation is characterized by severe swelling, often with the formation of blisters, as well as itching, severe redness and burning.
- Meteorological cheilitis develops under the influence of weather conditions (wind, sun) and is manifested by burning, itching with small weeping blisters, in place of which erosions and ulcers form over time.
- The atopic form manifests itself as a symptom of dermatitis or neurodermatitis. Manifests itself in the form of redness and ulcers in the corners of the lips.
- The hypovitaminosis type of the disease is formed in response to a severe lack of vitamins, mainly vitamins A, C, B2. A characteristic burning sensation affects the surface of the lips, mouth and tongue. The mucous tissues take on a swollen appearance, cracks on the lips peel and bleed.
- Macrocheilitis is a response to damage to adjacent nerves (facial nerve neuritis), while itching and swelling from the tongue can spread to other parts of the face.
Attention! With a long course, there is a high probability of inflammation degenerating into a malignant neoplasm. This is especially typical for the meteorological form, which, in the absence of proper treatment, is often complicated by precancerous diseases.
Symptoms and treatment of lip jams in adults and children
The popular name for angulite is zaeda.
The disease is characterized by the presence of cracks in the corners of the mouth, erosion and irritation. In some cases, slight bleeding may occur. Common causes of sticking at the corners of the mouth include infection, irritation, and damage to the skin at the corners of the lips. Angulitis is rare in children. Most often, the disease is diagnosed in adults. Predisposing factors:
- decreased general immunity;
- deficiency of B vitamins;
- the presence of a bacterial infection;
- habit of licking lips, malocclusion;
- hypothermia;
- long-term use of corticosteroid drugs;
- eating unwashed vegetables and fruits;
- presence of caries;
- chronic diseases (diabetes mellitus, anemia, HIV, liver disease).
Your pediatrician will tell you at your appointment what causes seizures in babies.
Diagnosis of cheilitis
There are no specific laboratory tests to detect cheilitis. All diagnosis of the disease is carried out by visual examination. To determine the causes of inflammation, diagnostics of the gastrointestinal tract may be prescribed for the presence of Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis. Additionally, allergy tests are performed to exclude food allergies.
General laboratory tests allow you to check the condition of the body and determine the possible causes of cheilitis:
- low levels of vitamins due to hypovitaminosis can provoke exfoliative cheilitis;
- bacterial cultures of smears and biopsies are performed in patients with immune system disorders in the absence of results from the treatment;
- testing for markers of HIV infection, herpes, the presence of fungal or bacterial microflora, respectively, allows us to identify the viral, bacterial or fungal causative agent of cheilitis;
- a blood test for anemia, ESR are required to assess general health;
- examination of the function of the thyroid and pancreas for endocrine pathologies.
On a note! Cheilitis tends to be chronic with periodic relapses. Self-healing without medical supervision is almost impossible, so try to pay attention to such a “minor” problem and consult a specialist. Diagnosis of the disease is carried out by a general practitioner or attending dentist. In some cases, consultation with an allergist, infectious diseases specialist, dermatovenerologist or gastroenterologist may be required.
Cracks in the corners of the mouth, “jams”
Usually, along with this symptom, you can notice paleness and flaking of the facial skin. If such signs are detected, you should immediately contact a dermatologist to undergo an examination, as the origins of the symptoms may vary. These may include, for example, hormonal imbalance in the body or even HIV infection. You should not delay the consultation to prevent the development of the disease.
When contacting, a specialist will take a blood test and a scraping from the crack for examination. A general blood test will help to identify, for example, anemia, or exclude inflammation, and a test for glucose in the blood will help to detect diabetes mellitus in a timely manner. Scrapings from the “jam” are needed to confirm the candidal nature of the disease.
Causes of cracks in the corner of the mouth
Usually this disease occurs due to streptococcus. Sometimes the cause may be fungal flora, but this happens extremely rarely.
The first option arises due to:
- Ignoring oral hygiene rules
- Excessive lip licking
- Microtraumas
- Dry skin
- Deviation of body temperature from normal
- Wearing braces, carious teeth or dentures.
The second option is affected by:
- Deterioration of the immune system (for example, due to antibiotics and hormonal drugs)
- The presence of fungi of the genus Candida (they can be found almost everywhere, even on food and skin, but a person does not notice them until the immune system is weakened)
Sometimes “jams” can occur due to iron deficiency anemia. It can be identified by the pallor of the skin and conjunctiva of the eye. The causes of the disease are most often intestinal diseases, poor nutrition, due to which the skin begins to peel, becomes dry, and hair and nails become brittle. In this case, it is worth introducing dairy products into your diet that contain vitamin B2, which is beneficial for the body.
For those with diabetes, cracks in the corner of the mouth most often occur due to the body's low resistance to bacteria.
Treatment of “jams”
After diagnosing the disease, your doctor can create a new diet for you. For example, exclude sour, spicy and salty foods, instead he will advise you to pay attention to foods with a high concentration of iron and focus on fruits and vegetables.
During treatment, your doctor will advise you to avoid the habit of licking your lips. It is better to purchase hygienic lipstick, or any other cosmetics with a healing effect. He will also prescribe you special medications to eliminate the disease. You can also use folk remedies, such as tea tree oil.
The main thing is to consult a dermatologist in a timely manner so that the infection does not spread throughout the body.
Treatment
Different forms of cheilitis differ in their approach to treatment. Collectively, the impact may include:
- correction of the psycho-emotional sphere - a neurologist prescribes sedatives, tranquilizers, a psychologist or psychotherapist conducts appropriate psychotherapy;
- physiotherapy - treatment with laser, ultrasound, magnetotherapy, electrophoresis is prescribed locally; they relieve irritation and accelerate tissue regeneration;
- drug symptomatic therapy - non-hormonal anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed; in case of severe inflammation - hormonal drugs;
- immunotherapy – strengthen the immune system by taking immunomodulators and immunostimulants;
- vitamin therapy - taking vitamins A, C, group B (mainly vitamin B2) is of great importance;
- surgical treatment – typical for glandular cheilitis with enlargement of the salivary glands; Both laser ablation with a surgical laser and direct removal of areas of the gland are used;
- antiallergic therapy with antihistamines.
Additionally, the doctor may prescribe diet therapy with the exclusion of foods that provoke allergies or chemical irritation of tissues (spicy foods, saltiness and marinades). When staying outdoors for a long time, it is imperative to use special protective equipment.
Prevention
The main prevention of cheilitis is maintaining a healthy lifestyle and timely treatment of any infectious and allergic diseases. Basic list of measures:
- Eat right - a balanced menu should contain an abundance of fruits, vegetables, herbs, nuts, fish, and high-quality dairy products.
- Reduce the use of cosmetics - try to choose hypoallergenic formulations and constantly monitor the skin's reaction.
- Dose your exposure to open wind or direct sunlight.
- Protect your lip skin from physical and chemical damage.
- Take vitamin and mineral complexes periodically in courses (after consultation with your doctor).
- Give up bad habits.
- Seek medical advice promptly if you have characteristic symptoms.
Remember: your health is the greatest value, and constant monitoring of its condition is very important to maintain the body’s performance, especially in old age.
