Oral cavity & oropharynx
Inflammatory / immune mediated (noninfectious)
Geographic tongue
Author: Charu Thakral, M.D.
Last author update: 1 February 2013
Last staff update: 12 October 2020
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PubMed Search: Geographic tongue[TIAB] oral cavity
Table of Contents
Definition / general | Terminology | Epidemiology | Case reports | Treatment | Clinical images | Gross description | Microscopic (histologic) description | Microscopic (histologic) imagesCite this page: Thakral C. Geographic tongue. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/oralcavitygeographictongue.html. Accessed April 18th, 2024.
Definition / general
- Inflammatory disorder characterized by asymptomatic erythematous patches with serpiginous borders
- Local loss of filiform papillae leads to ulcer-like lesions that rapidly change color and size
- Associated with common cold, work / home stress
- Associated with tongue fissures
Terminology
- Also called benign migratory glossitis, glossitis migrans
Epidemiology
- 1 - 2% of population, usually adults
Case reports
- 77 year old man and woman successfully treated with topical tacrolimus (J Dermatol Case Rep 2010;4:57)
Treatment
- Usually none in asympomatic patients
Clinical images
Images hosted on other servers:
Before and after therapy
Before and after therapy
Geographic tongue
Gross description
- Erythematous flat zone on tongue dorsum due to loss of filiform papillae
Microscopic (histologic) description
- Acanthosis with neutrophils throughout epithelium and surface microabscesses, plus inflammatory infiltrate in lamina propria
- Resembles psoriasis
Microscopic (histologic) images
Images hosted on other servers:
Psoriform epidermal hypertrophy
