Illnesses that lead to Mouth Sores

There are a variety of illnesses that can lead to mouth sores, but thankfully most of them are unusual illnesses that don’t generally affect large numbers of people.

That said mouth sores that recur are evidence of a type of illness or rather virus that exists in the body and once there, doesn’t leave. This type of mouth sore will arise from viruses such as herpes, syphilis and recurrent aphthous stomatitis.

Of these, the last, recurrent aphthous stomatitis is heredity meaning that it runs in families and that a person is simply born with it. This type of mouth sore will start to appear at a young age and the sufferer will get them regularly throughout their lives.

They appear as very painful small lumps on the inside soft tissue part of the mouth. They are usually yellow-grey in the centre and have red lines around the border. They are extremely painful in the first four to seven days.

The pain will immediately prompt the sufferer to go to the doctor. And the doctor will be able to instantly identify them because of the pain. The doctor will most likely prescribe anti-septic and anti-inflammatory mouthwash, gels or creams. Despite the intense pain caused by these mouth sores, they do disappear after two weeks and tend to leave no scarring.

Herpes causes sores to appear on the outside of the mouth, on the lip. These are known as cold sore and again, once the person contracts the virus, it remains in their system, meaning the sufferer is susceptible to cold sores for the rest of their lives.

The pain associated with cold sores will depend on the severity of the attack. They can be brought on at any point from stress or bad diet. It would be necessary for anyone who suffers from cold sores to keep a watchful eye on both lifestyle and diet. Cold sores can be treated with standard creams available from the pharmacy.

Syphilis, like herpes, is a sexually transmitted disease that can cause mouth sores, this time inside the mouth. They tend to appear as large angry sores that can be very painful. Both herpes and syphilis are highly contagious in the early stages of the outbreak.

Some other underlying illnesses that are also associated with mouth sores include lupus, inflammatory bowel disease, hand-foot-mouth disease, Bechet’s Syndrome and Stevens-Johnson Syndrome. Where the mouth sores are a result of this type of illness, it is essential for the sufferer to seek medical attention.