Numbness of the tongue may occur with a variety of diseases and injuries, as well as when taking certain medicines. To understand why the patient comes numbness of the tongue sometimes necessary for a complete examination and only after establishing the correct diagnosis is possible to get rid of unpleasant sensations.

The main causes numbness of the tongue

Numbness language refers to a condition called paresthesia or impaired sensitivity. Temporary violation of the sensitivity of language can occur when a small injury, traumatic brain or spinal nerves, sensory branches that are in the area of ​​language. Such a condition may arise, for example, after the removal of wisdom teeth. Temporary numbness of the tongue may also occur when taking certain medications, such as cough medicine or anesthetic drug libeksin bellastezin which take for pain and spasms in the stomach and intestines.

Chronic paresthesia language may occur in diseases of the nervous system associated with damage to the nerves, providing its diverse innervation. So, with neuritis of the glossopharyngeal nerve is affected sensitivity to the posterior part of the language, and with the defeat of the lingual nerve - in the front and side of his spine. Pain may be caused by compression of the nerve swelling or edema associated with inflammatory or allergic reaction. Finally, the cause of nerve damage can be degenerative processes caused by blood circulation and metabolism Metabolism: The basis of life of all living things   in the art. There is numbness of the tongue against the background of chronic intoxication with alcohol and other toxic substances, diabetes Diabetes - threatening and incurable disease And deficiency of certain vitamins (e.g., nicotinic acid).

In addition to numbness in the glossalgia may appear symptoms such as burning, tingling, itching and so on - all of these symptoms are paresthesias. Glossalgia may occur against the background of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (gastritis, peptic ulcer, cholecystitis, colitis, helminthic invasion), some types of anemia, hormonal disorders (especially during menopause), functional and organic lesions of the autonomic and central nervous system. Sometimes the cause is glossalgia malocclusion (between teeth).

Such changes in the language in diseases of the internal organs can be explained by anatomical and functional communication nucleus of the vagus nerve innervating the gastrointestinal tract, from the nucleus of the trigeminal nerve, sensory branches that innervate the tongue.

Glossalgia symptoms and its course

Complaints of patients and the intensity of their subjective feelings when glossalgia vary widely. Sometimes they are limited only by a sense of numbness of the tongue, but more often they are joined by burning and other discomfort that may move to the mucous membrane of the cheeks, lips, palate, infraorbital and chin area.

Perestezii depressing effect on the psyche of patients, some of them have developed cancerophobia (fear of cancer, which took the form of the disease). Glossalgia often ill women after the age of forty years.

Predisposing and precipitating factors of glossalgia may be improperly installed dentures, tartar Plaque - why it should be removed? Prostheses of dissimilar metals that cause galvanic currents, trauma language, irritating food, some medicines.

The intensity of paresthesias with the disproportionate change the language of the mucous membrane, which at first is not changed (unless the patient is no inflammation - glossitis). But gradually there is swelling and the increase of tongue papillae, veins on the lower surface of the tongue, reduced salivation.

Glossalgia phenomenon can last for months, in some cases, in others - years. Sometimes it comes in remission without treatment, but then again there is aggravation.

Diagnosis and treatment

Glossalgia diagnosis is impossible without a thorough examination of the patient, identify and treat the underlying disease.

Treatment begins with removal glossalgia factors irritating language: replace your wrong set of prostheses, treatment of malocclusion Malocclusion: fix is ​​never too late , Removal of dental plaque, smoothing sharp edges crowns and fillings, replace metal fillings and dentures with dissimilar metals, and so on.

Appointed as a light diet, eliminating foods that may irritate the tongue.

Drug treatment is to appoint a soothing, improves circulation means, vitamin-mineral complexes and other drugs that improve metabolism. Since glossalgia largely depends on the state of the central nervous system, its treatment can last long and not always with positive results. But if it is not associated with any serious disease, it in itself is not dangerous.

Galina Romanenko

In emergency situations, when a sharp rise in intracranial pressure has resulted in the need for hospitalization, the main goal of treatment in the first stage - the provision of adequate indicators of oxygen tension in arterial blood, normoglycemia (normal blood glucose) and a normal amount of blood vessels. If the increased intracranial pressure is diagnosed at an early stage, treatment is prescribed for the disease, which caused an increase in pressure in the skull.

First-line therapy

The first line of therapy for raised intracranial pressure - a set of measures aimed at reducing the intracranial pressure and the prevention of the consequences of its increase.

• Prevention of temperature rise: fever provokes a further increase in intracranial pressure and increases the risk of adverse outcome after severe head injuries.
• Preventing seizures: In addition to fever, another factor provoking further rise in intracranial pressure - cramp. To prevent seizures applied standard treatment anticonvulsant drugs.
• Drainage of cerebrospinal fluid: an effective method of reducing intracranial pressure - ventricular drainage of fluid in the ventricles of the brain, performed by a special catheter. Possible complications after the procedure - infection and hemorrhage.
• Pain relief: to suppress pain and sedation are used to achieve an intravenous injection of propofol, midazolam, edomidata, alfentanil.
• Neuromuscular blockade: muscle activity may trigger a further increase in intracranial pressure due to increase intrathoracic pressure and violation of the venous outflow. If sedative drugs do not help, it can be used neuromuscular blockade.
• Hyperventilation: This procedure reduces the intracranial pressure, causing vasoconstriction (vasospasm), but also, in some cases, causes or exacerbates cerebral ischemia Cerebral ischemia - a real threat to human life .

Second-line therapy

• Barbiturates: Barbiturates in high doses are effective in dealing with difficult to treat intracranial hypertension Hypertension - Control your blood pressure But are ineffective or potentially unsafe as the primary method of treatment or prevention in those cases where increased intracranial pressure caused by head injury. Treatment of intracranial pressure barbiturates associated with a significant risk of complications, especially hypotension. Termination of the course of treatment should be gradual to avoid a repeat of increased intracranial pressure.
• Optimized hyperventilation: a method of treatment of intracranial pressure, involving the use of a more aggressive form hyperventilation Hyperventilation - when breathing is not easy   with simultaneous measures for the prevention of ischemia-induced hyperventilation Ischemia - when the brain fails to work . The main problem with the treatment of intracranial pressure - the emergence of the individual centers of cerebral ischemia, even though the provision of adequate amount of oxygen.
• Hypothermia: drop in body temperature of up to thirty-five degrees Celsius - an effective method of reducing bad treatable intracranial pressure with less risk of systemic complications. A significant disadvantage of this method of treatment of intracranial pressure - a significant risk of re-pressurization after discontinuation of therapy.
• Decompressive kraniektomiya: radical procedure involves the removal of individual sections of the skull and apply, by and large, only in cases where other methods of treatment of intracranial pressure were not effective.