K14.4: Atrophy of tongue papillae
The taste buds on your tongue have become shrunk in size.
The tongue is mostly made up of muscles. The tongue is important for chewing, swallowing and speaking. It is connected to the back of the throat. There are many taste buds on the surface of the tongue. The taste buds have lots of small nerves, allowing us to perceive taste.
When the taste buds shrink in size, the tongue may look smooth and redder. A burning sensation may also be felt on the tongue. A vitamin B12 deficiency is one possible reason for the taste buds shrinking in size.
Vitamin B12 is important for many processes in the body. This is involved in producing blood components. It is also important for growth and the renewal of cells. There are different reasons for a vitamin B12 deficiency. These include, for example, an unbalanced diet or an inflammation in the stomach. You can also have a deficiency if your intestine is unable to absorb enough vitamins from food.
Additional indicator
On medical documents, the ICD code is often appended by letters that indicate the diagnostic certainty or the affected side of the body.
- G: Confirmed diagnosis
- V: Tentative diagnosis
- Z: Condition after
- A: Excluded diagnosis
- L: Left
- R: Right
- B: Both sides
Further information
Note
This information is not intended for self-diagnosis and does not replace professional medical advice from a doctor. If you find an ICD code on a personal medical document, please also note the additional indicator used for diagnostic confidence.Your doctor will assist you with any health-related questions and explain the ICD diagnosis code to you in a direct consultation if necessary.
Source
Provided by the non-profit organization “Was hab’ ich?” gemeinnützige GmbH on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG).