A Painful, Red Tongue

A 64-year-old man presents with a painful, smooth red Tongue and burning lips. Explore the diagnostic process behind these perplexing oral symptoms.

Pernicious anemia


A 64-year-old man presented to the oral medicine clinic with a painful, smooth, red tongue and a burning sensation around his lips that had developed 6 months earlier. No deficits were found on neurologic examination. What is the most likely diagnosis?

What is the most likely diagnosis?

Oral lichen planus
Sjögren’s syndrome
Squamous-cell carcinoma of the tongue
Pernicious anemia
Amyloidosis

Atrophic Glossitis, Autoimmune, Macrocytic Anemia, Pernicious Anemia, Vitamin B12 deficiency

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