Q. I am a healthy 35-year-old female vegetarian of average weight. I have recently noticed that my tongue feels too wide for my mouth. It is sore on the sides toward the back of my mouth where it feels most wide because I keep biting on it. This makes it difficult for me to speak. It seems my tongue gets wide on and off and it has been like this for the last couple of months, lasting a few days to a week each time. Could this be an allergy?

A. The symptoms you describe could certainly be due to allergy, but other causes should be considered as well. Reactions to medication can cause conditions like this, so if there has been any recent change in your diet or medicines, including non-prescription, these should be eliminated. Several medical conditons can cause tongue reactions as well, such as an underactive thyroid gland. You should contact your doctor for further evaluation.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003047.htm

http://www.familydoctor.org/flowcharts/509.html

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