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Angular cheilitis—an oral disease with many facets

Anguläre Cheilitis – eine orale Erkrankung mit vielen Facetten

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Summary

Cheilitis is a common inflammatory disorder of the vermillion and adjacent skin of the lips. A special type is angular cheilitis. The disease has a mixed etiology, mostly with bacterial and fungal components. Angular cheilitis may be a clinical sign of an underlying disease. It has two age peaks: one during childhood and another in adults. It becomes more frequent with aging. Clinical presentation, differential diagnoses, and treatment are discussed. Angular cheilitis is of importance in primary care of patients, in geriatrics, dentistry, pediatrics, internal medicine, and in dermatology.

Zusammenfassung

Die Cheilitis ist eine häufige entzündliche Erkrankung von Lippenrot und Umgebungshaut. Eine Sonderform ist die anguläre Cheilitis der Mundwinkel. Die Ätiologie ist heterogen, zumeist mit einer bakteriellen oder fungalen Komponente. Die anguläre Cheilitis kann ein klinisches Symptom einer Grunderkrankung sein. Es gibt 2 Altersgipfel, einen in der Kindheit und einen im Erwachsenenalter. Mit dem Alter wird die Erkrankung häufiger. Klinische Symptome, Differenzialdiagnosen und Therapie werden besprochen. Die anguläre Cheilitis ist von Bedeutung in der medizinischen Grundversorgung beim Hausarzt, in der Geriatrie, Zahnheilkunde, Pädiatrie, in der inneren Medizin und der Dermatologie.

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Correspondence to Uwe Wollina.

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A. Chiriac, A.E. Chiriac, T. Pinteala, A. Spinei, L. Savin, H. Zelenkova and U. Wollina declare that they have no competing interests.

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Chiriac, A., Chiriac, A.E., Pinteala, T. et al. Angular cheilitis—an oral disease with many facets. Wien Med Wochenschr (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10354-024-01037-9

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