Houston Doctor Researching Link Between COVID And Rare Tongue Swelling Side Effect

A Houston doctor is trying to find the link between COVID-19 and a rare side effect that causes a person’s tongue to swell dramatically.

The side effect is called macroglossia, according to the Houston Chronicle. It causes a person’s tongue to swell to the point they experience difficulty eating and talking. Dr. James Melville is now researching why nine patients who tested positive for coronavirus have experienced the rare condition.

KHOU-11 reports that all nine people who experienced macroglossia were intubated at a hospital. Of those nine, eight people were Black. Two of the patients suffered strokes, and the other seven were hospitalized with COVID-19 before their diagnosis. 

Dr. Melville says, “I think it has a lot to do with where the virus is attaching itself and the body’s immune response to it.” The patients all had inflammatory cells in their tongue tissue, making certain people more prone to the rare side effect. 

Now, he is working on a study to see if there is a common genetic link in the patients that have experienced macroglossia.