"Swollen Tongue Makes It Impossible to Close Mouth"... 'Macroglossia' Appears in a Very Small Number of COVID Patients

Anthony Jones, who was diagnosed with COVID-19 and hospitalized last July, later experienced symptoms of pericarditis and underwent surgery performed by Dr. James Melville and medical staff at the Texas Dental College, resulting in an improved condition.
[Photo by KHOU11]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] Doctors in Houston, USA, reported on the 21st (local time) that some hospitalized COVID-19 patients showed symptoms of 'macroglossia,' and they are investigating the cause.

According to a daily newspaper in the Houston area, since the first patient showed symptoms of macroglossia last fall, a total of nine cases have been reported so far. Among them, two patients had suffered a stroke before developing macroglossia, and the remaining seven were hospitalized after testing positive for COVID-19.

Macroglossia, also known as "geoseoljeung," is a condition where the tongue enlarges to fill the mouth. It can be caused by congenital or acquired factors and may also result from hemangiomas or lymphangiomas.

In November last year, Anthony Jones, who lived in Florida, experienced tongue swelling due to macroglossia, making it impossible to close his mouth. Jones had been hospitalized since July after testing positive for COVID-19 and was in critical condition, requiring a ventilator.

Jones’s lungs were severely damaged, and he lay prone for 12 hours for treatment. Although his lung condition improved, his tongue began to swell severely after maintaining the prone position for an extended period, according to the media. Jones lived with a swollen tongue for three months until his mother met Dr. James Melville of the Texas Dental College, an expert in treating rare diseases, who treated him. Dr. Melville and the medical team performed surgery to reduce the size of Jones’s tongue to its original state and alleviate inflammation, which improved Jones’s symptoms.

At the time, Dr. Melville described Jones’s symptoms as "very rare." He also said, "Since many COVID-19 patients are currently in the prone position, I think more cases of macroglossia may emerge."

After treatment, Jones expressed gratitude, saying, "I am thankful to be able to speak."

Dr. Melville is known to have continued performing surgeries to restore tongue size in macroglossia patients until recently. According to Dr. Melville, the swelling in COVID-19 patients with macroglossia is much more severe compared to typical patients, but experts have yet to identify the exact correlation between COVID-19 and macroglossia.

Dr. Melville explained, "Inflammatory cells exist in the tongue tissues of COVID-19 patients, which may make them more susceptible to rare diseases." He also stated that he is currently researching whether there is any common genetic link among the patients.

He added, "If doctors can find answers to this, I hope they can also discover how to prevent it."