We have probably all at some point experienced the sudden appearance of painful areas in the mucous membrane of our mouths, painful to the touch and resembling small lesions.
This is aphthous stomatitis, characterised by the appearance of single or multiple aphthae in the mucous membranes of the mouth. Aphthae are oval or round, no bigger than a lentil seed, with defined edges with a narrow bright red border and a greyish yellow deposit in the centre.
The precise causes for this condition are unknown. However, it is very probable that it is caused by the conditions in the digestive tract, allergic reactions, or a viral infection. The frequent occurrence of stomatitis during ARVI would also point to the importance of the part played by viruses.
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2Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation Federal State Budget Institution. Study of in vitro antiviral activity of Hexetidine against a number of viruses causing acute respiratory infection. 2014 (Data on File)
3Deryabin PG et. Al. Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine, Vol. 160, No. 3, January 2016 VIROLOGY
4The telegraph. Accessed from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/jobs/8806388/Top-10-causes-of-absenteeism.html . Accessed on 6 May 2016