An 80-year-old man presented to the emergency department with a 5-day history of fever and right shoulder pain. One week after hospitalization, he developed asymptomatic black discoloration of the dorsal surface of his tongue. What is the diagnosis and what would you do next? https://ja.ma/3NcFs6i
Black hairy tongue. It is a transient condition triggered by several factors (poor oral hygiene, certain medications, niacin deficiency, etc.). Possibly (not described in the report), the patient used some antibiotic (tetracyclines are the main ones associated with this condition). The best course of action is to maintain oral hygiene and wait for the microbiota of the oral cavity to reestablish itself.
Yashendra Sethi
10mo
We reported a similar case too: https://journals.lww.com/annals-of-medicine-and-surgery/Abstract/9900/Linezolid_induced_black_hairy_tongue_in_a_patient.588.aspx
I would guess this is thrush due to antibiotics. Many people I've seen treat this with gentian violet. Not sure if that is a common remedy anymore but we always kept this in stock at the pharmacy due to the number of requests from patients.
David Grant
10mo
I would guess that during the stay, he had a prescription for an antimicrobial. Some antimicrobials can cause black, harry tongue. D/C it and choose a different therapy.
Antibiotic reaction. Some form of a tetracycline.
Rama Qashou
10mo
Black hairy tongue, maybe some antibiotic do that
May be tongue cancer
Tetracycline antibiotic
Newton Black
10mo
JAMA Black Jair Tongue - ATB
Technical services, General Engineering.
10moI guess kind of water pollution in drinking water with microbiology, microbe, virus and amib content ,Then very sudden shock in his Lever.