Chronic labyrinthitis is a chronic inflammatory disease that occurs mainly on the lips, also known as chronic nonspecific labyrinthitis, while lip manifestations of systemic diseases and other oral mucosal diseases in the lip lesions are not included. The common clinical features of this disease are long-term and persistent swelling, erosion, exudation, and dryness and flaking of the lips, and the patient feels burning, pain, or varying degrees of itchiness. It can occur in both sexes, but is more common in adolescents and less common in the elderly. The course of the disease is prolonged and recurrent. Currently, there are many classifications of chronic labyrinthitis.
I. Etiology and pathology
Most causes of chronic labyrinthitis are unknown and may be related to the following factors.
1. Western medical etiology and pathology
(1) Long-term external stimulation
Such as dry climate, high temperature work, tobacco, alcohol and cosmetics are related to the onset of the disease.
(2) repeated and long-lasting sun exposure
Especially in summer, so there is called photochemical lipitis. Ingestion of vegetables containing more porphyrins (spinach, rape, etc.), and drugs (chlorpromazine, isoniazid). Chinese medicine such as angelica and psoralen can disrupt the metabolism of porphyrins, which are induced by sun exposure and sensitivity to light.
(3) Bad habits
Such as lip licking, lip biting, lip trauma, improper treatment of infection, etc., can form chronic labyrinthitis.
(4) Delayed metaplasia and infectious lesions
Delayed metaplasia is related to infectious lesions, such as chronic periapical inflammation, inflammation of the nasopharynx and other related vasculitis and lymphangitis.
2.TCM etiology and pathogenesis
Chinese medicine has summarized the lip wind into the following aspects.
(1) Wind-heat attacking upwards Excessive consumption of spicy and thick flavors, heat and dryness, and the accumulation of the spleen and stomach, and then feel wind-heat, external heat induces stomach fire, attacking upwards through the meridians, fumigating the mouth and blood congestion, the disease occurs.
(2) Dampness and heat in the spleen and stomach. The disease is caused by poor diet, loss of spleen health, internal dampness and turbidity, dampness and heat, and dampness and heat fighting each other and attacking the lips.
(3) Spleen deficiency and blood dryness: deficiency of the spleen and loss of energy, lack of essence and blood production.
(4) Qi stagnation, phlegm coagulation and blood stasis Mostly due to injury caused by emotion and will, Qi disorders, blood flow is not smooth, phlegm coagulation and internal knotting, and Qi, blood and phlegm are depressed in the lips, resulting in lip disease.
Clinical manifestations
Chronic labyrinthitis often involves the upper and lower lip red parts, with the lower lip being the heaviest, the whole lip red can be seen as mild flaking, peeling or fine scales, and small or deep longitudinal cleavage furrows can appear, the lip red part is eroded, oozing, forming thin yellow scabs, or bleeding after condensing into blood scabs, and bleeding when the lip moves. The lips are dry and cracked, and there is purulent discharge secondary to infection. After the scabs fall off, bleeding trauma is formed, followed by crusting, which occurs repeatedly, causing swelling or chronic mild hyperplasia of the red part of the lip, swollen submandibular lymph nodes, and obvious pain and dryness. Sometimes it can heal temporarily, but it often recurs. The localized tingling or burning pain is slow and persists for months to years.
It is sensitive to sunlight and has a seasonal onset. The red part of the lip is mainly vesiculated, but does not go beyond the red edge of the lip, which is photochemical labyrinthitis.
III. Treatment
1.Treatment principle Avoid sunlight or cold wind and other stimulating factors, change bad habits such as lip biting and lip licking, quit smoking and alcohol, stop using suspicious food and drugs, and reduce lip activities.
2.Chinese medicine treatment
(1) Internal regulation of Chinese medicine
From the clinical treatment, most of the patients have poor spleen and stomach, and damage the liver and kidney over time, and sometimes have phlegm, dampness, stasis and blood, etc. Therefore, overall, the main purpose is to tonify the spleen and stomach, supplemented by tonifying the liver and kidney, and add and subtract medicine according to the different symptoms.
(2) External treatment methods
1.Self-blood therapy This is the characteristic therapy of our department, which is effective for many kinds of skin diseases and the effect is satisfactory from the patients’ response.
2.External application Huanglian cream, green blowing mouth dispersion oil ointment, and purple return oil are applied externally; the former is used for those with red, swollen and ulcerated lips; the latter two are used for those with dry and cracked lips.
3, wet compress Fresh amaranth, big green leaf, fresh hibiscus leaf, fresh panax quinquefolius leaf rubbing juice externally on the affected area.
(3) Acupuncture treatment
1.Body acupuncture: Di Cang through the cheek car, keep acupuncture for 30 minutes.
2.Ear acupuncture Mouth, lip, Shen Men, adrenal gland, select 3-4 points each time, keep acupuncture for 30 minutes.
IV. Treatment course
After one month of treatment, it can be cured or improved, and no ineffective person has been encountered yet. Some sensitive patients can heal more than 50% of the symptoms of peeling and itching after one week of treatment.
V. Prevention and care
1. Correct bad habits, do not lick lips, bite lips, or uncover lip flakes, etc.
2, avoid the hot sun, windy season lip to lip balm moistened.
3.Eat less fat, alcohol, wine and thick food, and eat more fresh vegetables and fruits.
4, maintain oral hygiene.