Is red and swollen lips a cause of disease?

There are many reasons for red and swollen lips, including both medical reasons and improper daily lifestyle adjustments. For example, when the weather is dry, if the lips are severely dehydrated, redness and swelling are likely to occur. In addition, if food allergies occur and the lips have irritation reactions, this can easily cause redness and swelling symptoms. Of course, you should also pay attention to chronic cheilitis, high blood sugar, or decreased kidney function. These diseases can also cause redness and swelling of the lips.

1. Food allergies

The lip mucosa is swollen, dark red, dry, with extensive grayish-white bran-like scales, or cracks, local itching and dryness, burning pain and discomfort. In severe cases, there may be erosion and purulent secretions, which may affect the function of the lips (they cannot open after adhesion). In addition, swollen lips may be a sign of an allergic reaction, accompanied by other symptoms such as watery eyes, itchy skin and hives, which may be caused by new lipstick, food eaten, etc. If the swelling and pain are severe, you should go to the emergency room.

2. Chronic cheilitis

Dry lips are generally a sign of chronic cheilitis, which can be improved through diet and changing bad habits. If you are extremely thirsty, you should be alert to whether you have high blood sugar and seek medical attention promptly. Many people lick their lips unconsciously because they feel their lips are dry and chapped. The result is often counterproductive, and the symptoms of dry lips are aggravated, and even cause swelling and blood scabs on the lips. In fact, the above symptoms are generally typical manifestations of chronic cheilitis. Chronic cheilitis is a chronic nonspecific inflammatory lesion of the lips, which is mostly caused by various long-term and continuous stimuli.

3. Check blood sugar levels and kidney function

When you lick your lips with your tongue, the moisture brought by the saliva will not only evaporate quickly, but will also take away the little moisture that already exists on the lips, causing a vicious cycle of the more you lick, the drier the lips become. In severe cases, it may even cause pigmentation on the skin at the corners of the mouth. If you are extremely thirsty and drinking water does not help, it may be caused by a physical problem or endocrine disorder. You should be especially alert to the presence of high blood sugar. Once such symptoms occur, it is recommended to go to the hospital to test blood sugar levels and kidney function.

4. Angular cheilitis caused by dry weather

There are many reasons for chapped lips. In addition to dry weather and lack of water in the body, there are also reasons such as getting angry and lack of vitamins in the body. Simply replenishing water will increase the burden on the kidneys. Chapped and bleeding lips are actually caused by angular cheilitis, commonly known as "rotten mouth corners". It is a common oral disease. Autumn and winter are the peak seasons for angular cheilitis. Angular cheilitis is mainly caused by a lack of VB2. Patients are prone to bleeding when opening their mouths, and even eating and talking are affected.