Overview
An inflammatory condition which causes swollen red patches at corners of the mouth. It could occur either on one side or both sides of the lips at a same time.
Symptoms
If you’re experiencing new, severe, or persistent symptoms, contact a health care provider.
The characteristic symptom is sores at the corner of the mouth, either on one side or both sides of the lips. The other symptoms include:
- Painful cracks of lip
- Dry lips
- Burning sensation
- Swollen lips
- Burning feeling on your lips or mouth
- Difficulty in eating as a result of irritation
- Scaly corners
- Bad taste in the mouth
- Bleeding
→ Common treatment options
→ How is this diagnosed?
Causes
Angular cheilitis can cause for various reasons.
- The most common cause is yeast infection.
Oral thrush – an infection caused by fungus candida albicans. Dribble of saliva can get accumulated in the corners of the lip, which causes the lips to crack, making it more vulnerable for yeast to grow.
- Dry chapped lips
- Infection from either bacteria, yeasts or virus
More common among children and older adults, the other risk factors include
- Wearing braces
- Wearing ill fitting dentures
- Nutrition deficiency iron deficiency, vitamin B2 (riboflavin)
- Sagging skin around the mouth
- Chronic conditions such as anemia, diabetes, cancer, chronic eczema, atopic dermatitis
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