Introduction
A large or too large tongue is called macroglossia in the medical community. Furthermore, a distinction is made between a congenital tongue and a large tongue acquired later in life. The tongue does not always have to be afflicted with a disease, but it can mean a reduction in quality of life and be an indication of an underlying disease.
Causes of a large tongue
In general, the large tongue is an expression of an underlying disease. Typical diseases are a general large growth, also called gigantism. Here, people become larger than the normal average in their overall appearance.
However, the extent of the disease is very variable. A second frequent possibility is the so-called acromegaly. A disease that causes an enlargement of the hands, feet, ears, but also the tongue. This is almost always caused by a tumor of the pituitary gland, which produces growth hormones in an uncontrolled manner. However, these no longer have an effect on the bony skeleton, as the growth joints are already closed, but instead ensure the growth of soft tissue.
Diagnosis of a large tongue
The diagnosis of a too large tongue is a subjective gaze diagnosis. There are no objective criteria for measuring when a tongue is considered too large. However, this finding should be followed by the question of the cause.
As already mentioned at the beginning, the tongue can either be enlarged since birth just like the rest of the body, or it can only become enlarged in the course of life. If hands, feet, ears and other parts of the body are also affected, a pituitary gland tumor can be assumed. This suspicion must then either be confirmed or excluded.
Other symptoms
The large tongue itself is already part of a symptom complex indicating an underlying disease. Symptoms for a large tongue are quite subjective and mostly the own feeling that the tongue feels too large or takes up too much space in the mouth. With this feeling, a look in the mirror will probably confirm the assumption.
However, as mentioned above, the large tongue itself is usually only part of a whole range of other symptoms that indicate a causal disease. In most cases it appears paired with slowly developing large hands, large feet, large ears and a large nose. Even these changes are usually not noticed, since the increase in size extends over several years.
Persons who have not been seen for a long time usually express that the body parts in question have increased disproportionately. Our next article could also be of interest to you: Swollen tongueThe lateral impressions on the edge of the tongue are a typical accompanying phenomenon and an indication that the tongue is “too big” for the mouth. They are simply the impressions of the canine and molars on the tongue. If the tongue becomes larger, it automatically presses itself against the teeth and can penetrate deeper into the interdental spaces than at the tooth surfaces, thus creating a negative imprint of your own teeth on the tongue. They are not dangerous in themselves, but if the tongue rubs against the teeth continuously, the tongue can get chafed.
