Glossitis Anemia and nutritional deficiencies (such as a deficiency in niacin, riboflavin, iron, or Vitamin E) must be treated, often by dietary changes or other supplements. Avoid irritants (such as hot or spicy foods, alcohol, and tobacco) to minimize the discomfort. In some cases, tongue swelling may threaten the airway, a medical emergency that needs immediate attention. One review reported overall prevalence ranges of 0.1–14.3% for geographic tongue, 1.3–9.0% for "atrophy tongue" (atrophic glossitis), and 0.0–3.35% for median rhomboid glossitis. Glossitis Glossitis can mean soreness of the tongue, or more usually inflammation with depapillation of the dorsal surface of the tongue
Inflammation Sydenham and Virchow. Redness and heat are due to increased blood flow at body core temperature to the inflamed site; swelling is caused by accumulation of fluid; pain is due to the release of chemicals such as bradykinin and histamine that stimulate nerve endings. Loss of function has multiple causes. Acute inflammation of the lung (usually caused in response to pneumonia) does not cause pain unless the inflammation involves the parietal pleura, which does have pain-sensitive nerve endings. The process of acute inflammation is initiated by resident immune cells already present in the involved tissue, mainly resident macrophages, dendritic cells,