The diagnosis of macroglossia is made if the tongue becomes excessively enlarged and thickened. With macroglossia, this muscular organ is pathologically changed or has some anomalies in its structure. This usually occurs due to developmental disorders of the fetus or is a consequence of some pathological process in the body. With this disease, the tongue becomes covered with folds, which further interfere with its proper dynamics. More often the disease occurs in childhood.
If the normal weight of the tongue is from 60 to 80 grams, then with this pathology it “grows” to 120 grams or more.
Both the entire organ and its individual parts (lateral surfaces, back or tip) can increase in size. Because of this, teeth marks may be imprinted on it. Often the tongue may not fit in the mouth and protrude outward.
Macroglossia - causes of tongue enlargement and consequences of the anomaly
From time immemorial, language has served as the main indicator of human health. Any changes in its appearance and structure, the appearance of plaque and neoplasms are all direct signals that some pathological processes are occurring in the body. One of the most serious phenomena is considered to be an increase in the size of the main speaking organ. This condition is medically called macroglossia. Further in this material we will talk about what it is, why such an anomaly occurs in adults and children, what methods are used today to treat the pathology.
Top 10 people with the longest tongue in the world
- Stephen Taylor is a giant human tongue.
- Nick Stoberl is more than anyone in the world.
- Annika Irmler is the longest female tongue.
- Nick Afanasyev - success thanks to language.
- Chanel Tapper is the most unique girl.
- Adrianna Lewis is funny and quirky.
- Byron Schlenker has the biggest tongue.
- Emily Schlenker is a young world record holder.
- Yagya Katuwal is a very original person.
- Radmila Yusupova is a smiling girl.
What is a pathological phenomenon?
Macroglossia or enlarged tongue syndrome can be regarded as an anomaly in the development of an organ or a pathological deformation of its shape due to a certain disease. The tongue becomes denser, may partially or completely increase in size and even protrude outside the mouth if it no longer fits inside. Certain changes occur in the structure of the organ, due to which its surface becomes covered with numerous folds and becomes rough. All this leads to severe discomfort, the inability to fully chew food and breathe freely.
Enlarged tongue syndrome
Nick Afanasiev - young actor
Until the guy proved that his organ is the longest, no one had heard of him. Nick is Russian by nationality; as a child, his parents moved from Moscow to the USA. In the states, Afanasyev became famous for his originality. The length of the organ is 8.9 cm, the guy dreamed of becoming famous, becoming a famous actor, he believed that he could succeed, because he was not like everyone else. The young man easily reaches his elbow and nose.
Nick Afanasyev - a man with a long tongue
Once he posted a video on the Internet dedicated to his originality; the views in a short time simply went off scale - more than a million! The man was surprised by such popularity; he did not expect such success. But it was thanks to this that the guy began to fulfill his long-time dream of becoming an actor. He was invited to star in the TV series for teenagers iCarly; today Nick has more than a dozen films in his career.
Causes of macroglossia
Most often, the cause of the development of anomalies is congenital pathologies. Thus, the cause of the problem in newborns may be a benign neoplasm that began to grow at the stage of intrauterine development of the fetus, or an idiopathic disease with muscular hypertrophy of the tongue. Other possible prerequisites, dental experts include, are negative influences and conditions during pregnancy, acute infections, radiation exposure, alcohol poisoning, and hereditary factors. Experts also identify a number of genetic disorders, including the formation of cysts in the oral cavity during the formation of the tongue muscles1.
Read more about childhood tongue diseases in our special article>>>
“By the way, I also had no idea about this disease until a work colleague encountered something similar. As far as I understand, something went wrong during pregnancy, and the child was diagnosed with a congenital cyst on the tongue. I had to undergo surgery, and rehabilitation was not easy. It seems like everything is fine with the baby now...”
Kim7, Izhevsk, from correspondence on the woman.ru forum
As for adult patients, in this case macroglossia can result from the following phenomena and processes:
- malfunction of the thyroid gland, hormonal disorders,
- absence of all teeth in the mouth - complete edentia,
- open bite,
- amyloidosis – a disorder of protein metabolism,
- glycogenosis – disorders of the synthesis and breakdown of glycogen,
- pellagra is one of the forms of vitamin deficiency,
- rhinoscleroma – formation of nodules on the mucous membrane of the oral cavity and nasopharynx,
- syphilis, tuberculosis,
- neoplasms of both benign and malignant nature,
- inflammatory processes accompanied by the formation of pus,
- angioedema in acute form,
- “flaccid” tongue syndrome, characteristic of neurological disorders,
- intramuscular hemorrhage,
- candidiasis (fungal infections),
- malfunctions of the hematopoietic system,
- catarrhal glossitis.
There can be many causes of the pathology.
Sometimes a severe allergic reaction can provoke the problem. Also in medical practice, there are cases when the patient’s overweight becomes a prerequisite for pathology.
Byron Schlenker - language record holder
The cheerful American looks completely ordinary from the outside; as soon as he opens his mouth, it becomes clear why the person is unique. Byron has the world's largest tongue, measuring 8.6 centimeters wide. This width is greater than the length of the beer mat, wider than the iPhone 6 by a couple of centimeters. Byron discovered this feature by accident. Having decided to help my daughter in the library with a school project, I became interested in looking at a copy of the Guinness Book of Records. Schlenker decided to independently measure his oral organ, after which he was convinced that it was wider than the record holder recorded in the Book by a whole centimeter.
Byron Schlenker - owner of the largest tongue
Of course, the whole family decided that they needed to apply to become the current world record holder. Now the man is a local celebrity in his hometown, which he is very happy about. The wife admits that the couple’s mutual friends never stop making fun of them, but she tries not to pay attention. Byron is very popular among local residents; people often stop him in a store or other public places and want to take a photo. Strangers on the street ask to sign copies of the Guinness Book of Books.
Characteristic symptoms
In order to respond to a problem in a timely manner, you need to know what signs to recognize it. Here are the main symptoms of macroglossia:
- enlarged tongue, to the point where the organ no longer fits in the oral cavity,
- dryness of mucous membranes,
- difficulty breathing, asthma attacks,
- difficulty chewing and swallowing food,
- lumpy surface of the tongue
- enlarged taste buds
- excessive salivation,
- inability to close your mouth normally,
- formation of bleeding cracks on the back,
- diction problems,
- often an increase in temperature, the addition of common infections.
With this pathology, it is impossible to close the mouth normally.
Gradually, the patient’s condition worsens, the bite is deformed, and ulcers appear on the back of the organ. The area around the mouth becomes inflamed and irritation occurs.
Adrianna Lewis - unusual fame
Another American woman, whose originality lies in her very long mouth organ, a little more than 10 cm long, the whole world knows about it. Lewis posted a video where she demonstrates the longest, largest organ in full length; hundreds of thousands of curious Internet users watched the video. The organ is very similar to a snake, it easily reaches the elbow, the tip of the nose, the girl even manages to reach her eyes. Negotiations were actively conducted with representatives of the Guinness Book, the girl was successfully able to officially register the achievement, which she is very proud of.
Adrianna Lewis has the biggest tongue among women
Lewis's mother was the first to notice her daughter's uniqueness when she was 12 years old. The woman noted that the organ was amazing in size when the child began to grimace or eat ice cream. The girl’s abilities amazed those around her, she is not shy, she even loves to surprise others. Adrianna is often photographed with her mouth open, and her images have appeared in several print publications. Lewis even created her own channel on YouTube, where she clearly shows her original abilities and various tricks. The girl is accustomed to unflattering comments from others and Internet users, but this does not stop her.
How is macroglossia treated today?
The treatment method is selected taking into account the reasons that led to the increase in the size of the tongue. The doctor also takes into account all the changes that have occurred during the development of the disease. In the event that macroglossia is the result of some systemic disease, the root cause of the disease is treated first.
Drug therapy
We already said above that the problem may be the result of an infectious infection. In this case, specialists usually prescribe drug therapy aimed at eliminating the causative factor. As a rule, these are antibiotics, drugs that help normalize metabolic processes, restore the functioning of blood and lymphatic vessels, and agents that stimulate tissue regeneration. Special medications may also be prescribed to treat the surface of the tongue and oral mucosa in order to relieve swelling and inflammation.
If the cause of the pathology is an infection, then antibiotics are prescribed
Surgery
When the situation becomes more serious, surgery may be required. Typically, the surgical method is used to correct a birth defect, immediately after the birth of a child. There are several methods of such treatment:
- resection of the affected organ area,
- phlebectomy or sclerotherapy - usually performed when the cause of the disease is malfunction of the blood vessels. When performing a phlebectomy, the doctor removes damaged vessels, and in the second, he injects a special drug that stimulates the restoration of their functionality,
- blocking the lingual artery - this method is usually used when a child needs treatment at the stage of active growth. In this way, it is possible to minimize the supply of hormones, and the size of the tongue begins to return to normal,
- trimming the frenulum - the organ is raised to maximum tension, after which the frenulum is shortened to 1.5 cm. An advantage is the fact that the operation does not require sutures.
In some cases, surgical intervention is required.
The optimal treatment option is an integrated approach to treatment. The fastest and highest quality results can be achieved by combining drug therapy and surgical treatment.
Chanel Tapper - Women's Champion
The record holder from the Guinness Book of Records comes from the USA. Its organ reaches 9.75 centimeters in length from the tip of the tongue to the upper lip. Chanel first discovered her originality at the age of 8, during a Halloween photo shoot with her mother. In one photo, both showed their tongues and made funny faces. During a detailed examination of the photograph, Chanel clearly saw that her organ was twice as long as her mother’s. Then Tapper's classmates began to notice this, and she even became popular at school for demonstrating a trick during which she reaches her nose.
Chanel Tapper - world record holder for longest tongue
The girl admits that today requests to reach her elbow or nose are familiar to her, she has long gotten used to popularity, but she never ceases to show the uniqueness of the organ. The student did not immediately decide to submit an application to the Guinness Book of Records. She wondered if she needed to be so popular, to show off her tongue to the whole world. After thinking carefully, I finally decided that I would really like to become famous. Measurements were taken, after which the girl was officially recognized as the owner of the world's largest, longest tongue among a female representative. If you stick it out to its full length, the organ appears even below the chin. The student understands that maybe her achievement does not seem very pleasant or understandable to someone, but she herself has no problems with it. After all, the girl was born this way, so she is not shy about this uniqueness.
What could be the consequences if treatment is not started on time?
Macroglossia is not just an aesthetic defect, but a serious pathological phenomenon that can lead to dangerous consequences. Among the possible negative developments, dental experts highlight the following phenomena:
- serious disruptions in the functioning of the lungs, frequent cases of asphyxia, which in the worst circumstances can even lead to death,
- the formation of malocclusion in children, which also negatively affects the condition of the body as a whole,
- disturbances in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, since with such a pathology it is quite difficult to chew food thoroughly,
- deformation of teeth and soft tissues of the oral cavity,
- speech dysfunction and problems with the patient’s social adaptation.
Frequent biting of the organ, the appearance of cracks and microtraumas cannot be avoided - all this causes serious inconvenience and can provoke the development of an infectious process. It is important to respond to the problem in a timely manner in order to prevent possible complications.
- Matveev, PC Clinical system for diagnosing macroglossia, 2013.
Nick Stoberl - record holder of the list
The guy broke the record of the previous participant in 2015; the length of his organ is 10.08 cm. The record holder lives in the USA, works as a comedian and artist. He says that after the official recognition in 2015, all friends, when meeting new people, always add that Nick has the longest tongue in the world. Of course, new acquaintances ask to demonstrate such a rarity.
Nick Stoberl - a big tongue by inheritance
The guy admits that it’s very cool to have such a big tongue, you can easily reach the tip of your nose and amuse your friends. His father also had this phenomenon, so we can say that the rare phenomenon was inherited by Stoberl. According to the young man, it was not easy to officially register his figure; the desire to stand out coincided with the 60th edition of the Guinness Book of Records. Before publication, the record holders were checked very carefully, Nick took measurements several times and finally got into the Book, which he is very proud of.
Emily Schlenker - uniqueness by inheritance
The girl is the daughter of the previous world record holder; her uniqueness was inherited. The width of the organ is smaller than that of her father and is 7.3 cm, however, she and her father were included in the Guinness Book of Records as the couple with the largest tongues in the world.
Emily Schlenker is the daughter of the most tongue-in-cheek dad
When the father suggested that the child register a world record together, she didn’t even want to hear about it. But after repeated measurements, finally making sure that Emily’s oral organ was indeed larger, wider than the recorded record holder, although smaller than her father’s, the decision was made to submit an application.
Exercises
The lengthening of the tongue depends on the condition of the hyoid frenulum.
If it is not developed and is short, then the following exercises should be used:
All these exercises will bring results only when a person does them every day and several times.
If you don’t want to perform this complex, then you can simply stretch your tongue to your nose. This exercise should be done frequently over a long period of time. It’s not for nothing that they say: “If you suffer for a long time, something will work out.” Therefore, you need to put in as much effort as possible.
This is the main way to lengthen your tongue at home; exercises can be done at any age. Kids will be able to cope with them from the age of two years.
Therapeutic effect
When choosing the type of therapy, the doctor takes into account the form of the disease and the cause of its origin. If this pathology is caused by a secondary disease, the cause should be treated in parallel. The general treatment algorithm involves the use of the following medications:
- antibacterial drugs that are used orally or injected;
- antiseptic solutions that are used for local treatment of the surface of the muscular organ;
- the use of anti-inflammatory drugs for treating the tongue.
When treating the main disease that caused macroglossia, with an integrated approach, medications have a positive effect on the organ, it gradually becomes smaller in size. The therapy is long-term, the duration of the course of taking medications is determined by the treating doctor. It is also necessary to undergo regular examinations, since treatment adjustments may be necessary as the patient recovers.
Diagnostic measures
When undergoing a routine ultrasound examination during the third trimester of pregnancy, the doctor may detect congenital macroglossia. It is determined after comparison with the norms of each age at a given stage of fetal development. To make an accurate diagnosis, a repeat test is scheduled.
After the birth of the child, an examination awaits from many specialists - an infectious disease specialist, geneticist, otolaryngologist, endocrinologist. An instrumental examination is carried out, and a biochemical study of the blood fluid is prescribed. Based on the results of all tests and diagnostic methods, a diagnosis is made and therapy is prescribed.
