In a bizarre incident, a woman who was on an antibiotic treatment developed a black hairy tongue. Believe it or not, this was a side-effect of the medicines she was on. The graphic imagery of her black tongue has gone viral. According to media reports, the woman was being treated after she met with a car crash and it was during the treatment that she developed a black hairy tongue. This 55-year-old woman suffered a major motor vehicle accident and had both her legs crushed according to the reports published in the New England Journal of Medicine and the treatment of which left her black tongued. The reports also mentioned that the black discolouration of her tongue also caused her nausea and a bad taste in her mouth. Also, did you know back in India Doctor Removes 10000 Gallstones from a 40-Year-Old Nutritionist in Kolkata? 

What Is a Black Hairy Tongue?

In simple words, it is a condition wherein the bumps on the tongue increase in size and turn into brownish-black colour, giving an impression of having a thick layer of hair in the tongue. A study called the 'Drug-induced black hairy tongue' describes the phenomenon as, 'Black hairy tongue (BHT) is a benign, self-limiting disorder characterized by abnormally hypertrophied and elongated filiform papillae on the surface of the tongue.' Another study further describes it, 'In cases of extreme hypertrophy there is an accumulation of matted hair-like processes on the surface of the tongue and the condition is known as the black hairy tongue.'

What Are the Causes and How Does the Tongue Turn Black and Hairy? 

There are several causes of this condition. A study perfectly describes the various causes of the black and hairy condition that have been studied on the basis of past cases. It says, 'Heavy smoking, dyspepsia, irradiation, various inflammatory lesions, washing the mouth with hydrogen

peroxide, boric acid, silver nitrate, or chromic acid, and the use of certain toothpaste have been rightly or wrongly blamed for the production of the black tongue.' It further says, 'With the introduction of antibiotics into therapeutics black tongue is seen much more often, and is now regarded

as one of the side-effects of antibiotic treatment.'

However, the treatments are available and usually consists of physical removal of the layer or medicinal use. A study describing the treatment of Black hairy tongue says, 'Treatment for BHT involves eliminating any predisposing issues and practising scrupulous oral hygiene. Drug therapy and physical removal of the elongated filiform papillae are available for resistant cases. Clinicians should be aware of the prevalence, the predisposing factors and drug classes that may play a role in the development, and the treatment of BHT.

(References: Incidence of Black Tongue in Antibiotic Treatment/ Black Hairy Tongue: Predisposing Factors, Diagnosis, and Treatment./ Drug-induced black hairy tongue.)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 08, 2018 04:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).