You might find that you are likely to suffer from Angular Cheilits if you are prone to having dry, or chapped lips. If you find that you have cracked corners of your mouth, or that you have blisters on the the corners of your mouth, then it is likely that you are suffering from something called Angular Cheilitis.
This goes by a couple of other names as well – Angular Stomatitis, or Perleche. Stomatitis is often used to describe a broad spectrum of oral inflammation and ulcers and is even used to describe certain dental conditions and sores in cats, but the term Angular Cheilitis just refers to the specific instance where a rash, lesions or sores occur on the corners of the mouth.
This is therefore an inflammatory lesion that is found at the side, or corners of the mouth. It manifests itself in the form of a red, crusty rash in corners of the mouth. Sometimes, these cracks may bleed when the mouth is opened and pus may also form in the cracks. The condition is described as ‘mildly painful’, however, as anyone with any mouth ulcerations can testify, any lesion or sore on the mouth or corner of the mouth is really uncomfortable and painful.
What causes Angular Cheilitis?
The origin is largely unknown but there are a number of potential causes and some additional infections can occur after the cracks have appeared already, which means that treatment and prevention is sometimes difficult to determine.
Some sources think that there are iron deficiencies or other deficiencies in the diet, although at least one source thinks that this is not true. Badly fitting dentures that causes the face, or mouth, to collapse, is also thought to be a potential source.
What is known is that it is definitely associated with fungal or bacterial infections. Whether the cracks appear first and are then exacerbated by a fungal or bacterial infection, or whether the cracks are caused by a fungal or bacterial infection, is not really well known, but there is a definite link between the two.
Who is more likely to get Angular Cheilitis?
It does occur frequently among the elderly, due largely to badly fitting dentures, however, it can affect anyone. A form of it that affects youngsters and teenagers come in the form of chapped or dry lips. They often mistakenly try to moisten their lips by licking them, which often exacerbates the problem. In this case, treatment mostly revolves around using lip balm or vaseline.
Angular Cheilitis can last between a couple of days and a couple of weeks and various treatments are available, mostly centering around anti-fungal or steroid creams.
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