cheilosis
Noun: A medical condition affecting the lips, characterized by scaling (flaking skin) and fissures (cracks or splits), particularly at the corners of the mouth. It is typically caused by a nutritional deficiency, specifically a lack of riboflavin (vitamin B2).
This is a technical medical term. It is used in clinical, healthcare, and nutritional contexts to diagnose or describe a specific symptom. - The doctor diagnosed the patient's cracked lips as cheilosis. - A persistent case of cheilosis may indicate an underlying vitamin deficiency.
- Clinical Diagnosis: The term is used to specify a lesion type. For example: "The physical examination revealed signs of cheilosis and glossitis, pointing to a possible B-vitamin complex deficiency."
- Nutritional Context: Often discussed in relation to other deficiency symptoms. For example: "Cheilosis, along with angular stomatitis, is a classic sign of riboflavin deficiency."
- Angular Cheilitis: A closely related or synonymous term often used to describe inflammation and fissuring specifically at the corners of the mouth, which can have multiple causes including nutritional deficiency, infection, or mechanical factors.
- Riboflavin Deficiency: The specific nutritional cause of cheilosis.
- Angular cheilitis (in many clinical contexts)
- Perlèche (an older term)
While "cheilosis" specifically links the lip condition to a riboflavin deficiency, the visually similar condition "angular cheilitis" is a broader term for inflammation at the mouth corners that can have various etiologies (e.g., fungal infection, ill-fitting dentures). In practical medical usage, these terms are sometimes used interchangeably, though "cheilosis" emphasizes the nutritional origin.
- a disorder of the lips marked by scaling and fissures at the corners of the mouth; caused by a deficiency of riboflavin