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Since tongue piercing appears to be becoming
increasingly popular it is important for physicians, the public
and those performing the piercings to be aware of the potential
complications.
The first case of brain abscess following
tongue piercing has been identified in a 22-year-old female.
In this case, the patient reported
tongue swelling and pus drainage around the piercing site
about 2 to 3 days after having her tongue pierced. She initially
tolerated the symptoms, but pulled the stud out within 1 or
2 days, after which her symptoms improved.
Four weeks later, however, the patient
began experiencing headaches,
fever, nausea, vomiting and dizziness and was also increasingly
wobbly while walking, the report indicates.
She had a history of drug use, but denied using drugs during
the previous 5 months and was HIV negative.
An MRI brain imaging scan revealed an
abscess in the patient's brain, and she subsequently underwent
surgery to drain the abscess. Upon examination of the drained
fluid, the researchers found that it was contaminated with
Streptococcus viridans and other normal mouth bacteria typically
found in plaque.
The patient consequently received 6
weeks of antibiotic therapy and fully recovered.
In light of both the onset of symptoms
following the removal of the tongue jewelry and the types
of bacteria identified in the drained fluid, the brain abscess
most likely resulted from the tongue piercing.
What's more, the relatively few reports
of infection following tongue piercing may be due to reporting
bias, rather than a true lack of incidents, the researchers
speculate. Other reports of infection include a chest abscess
and a heart infection.
39th
annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America
November 21, 2001 San Francisco, California
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