What Causes Red Non-painful Patches On The Tongue Of A Child?

Posted on Mon, 8 Feb 2016

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Mon, 8 Feb 2016 Answered on

Fri, 22 Apr 2016 Last reviewed on

Question : My 5 yr old son has red patches on his tongue. He said the do not hurt but his throat does. It almost resembles geographic tongue from what I see on pictures. He does have fever

Answered by Dr. Ronald Schubert (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Geographic tongue

Detailed Answer:
Thank you for contacting HCM with your health care concerns

You submitted an image of your son's tongue because of your concern about an infection. The tongue is definitely a geographic tongue and does not show signs of infection. Geographic tongue is a normal variant and is not pathological. There is no treatment for geographic tongue.

If you son is having fever and sore throat he may have a viral or bacterial infection but from the photo I can't determine that. If his fever continues and his sore throat worsens he may need to see a medical provider.

I hope I answered your question. Please contact us again if you have any additional questions

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar