What’s going on when my baby’s tongue turns yellow or black?

The tongue is the human body's organ for sensing all delicious things. In addition to this function, the tongue can also help chew food. So why does the baby's tongue turn black?

First, infection with high fever: dry black tongue coating indicates that high fever damages body fluids, which is more common in the late stages of fever. Most people develop black tongue during fever. Among patients with black tongue coating, half of the cases are caused by various inflammatory infections, including pneumonia, pyelonephritis, gangrenous appendicitis, peritonitis, cholecystitis, lower limb phlebitis, suppurative osteomyelitis, pelvic inflammatory disease and sepsis.

Second, gastrointestinal dysfunction: Traditional Chinese medicine believes that black tongue coating is caused by extreme heat turning into fire. Some people with gastrointestinal problems are prone to cold and dampness, and their tongue coating will become thick and greasy. It is white at first and gradually turns yellow or black. About half of the patients with black tongue coating have gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal distension, constipation, nausea, and poor appetite. After the black tongue coating disappears, the appetite also improves.

Third, fungal infection: Various bacteria, molds and other microorganisms grow in the human oral cavity (including on the tongue coating). They usually restrict and promote each other, maintaining a certain balance, and do not pose any hindrance to human health. If a large number of broad-spectrum antibiotics are used to treat diseases, the balance of these microorganisms will be broken. Some bacteria that are more sensitive to antibiotics are killed, while fungi that are relatively resistant to these antibiotics take the opportunity to multiply rapidly. Since molds can produce a variety of colors, the tongue can appear in a variety of colors, ranging from brown to black.

Fourth, black tongue will also appear when the mind is under high tension. Staying up late and smoking too much can easily cause black tongue.

Fifth, some critically ill patients, such as those in the late stage of cirrhosis with severe liver damage, chronic renal failure and uremia, and various advanced cancers with extremely weak physical constitution, will also have black tongue coating. This is a sign of a serious illness and they should go to the hospital to see a doctor in time.

Sixth, some foods, such as sour plums, black sesame paste, etc., or medicines, such as compound licorice tablets, iron supplements, etc., can easily dye the tongue coating black. This is only a temporary phenomenon and there is no need to worry.

If your child's tongue coating appears black and there is no other obvious discomfort, there is no need to worry. Black tongue coating in babies is often caused by gastrointestinal dysfunction. This is because children have immature yin and yang bodies, and their gastrointestinal function is not sound. In addition, they have dietary disorders and poor digestion ability. Observe whether the child has other abnormal manifestations such as drooling, pain, anorexia, abdominal distension, etc. Also pay attention to his bowel movements, whether he has constipation or diarrhea. In addition, pay attention to whether a large amount of broad-spectrum antibiotics are used to cause fungal infection. The black tongue coating of the baby may also be related to the food eaten, such as certain foods such as black sesame paste, dark chocolate, sour plums, etc. Sometimes taking certain medicines can also cause the tongue coating to be black, such as iron supplements, compound licorice tablets, etc. However, patients with more serious illnesses should be alert when observing black tongue coating, which means that the condition has worsened and they should go to the hospital for treatment in time.