Can iron deficiency anemia cause glossitis?

Iron deficiency anemia is a common type of nutritional anemia, and this condition can sometimes lead to the development of glossitis. Patients with nutritional anemia, especially those with megaloblastic anemia, frequently experience symptoms of glossitis, such as a bright red tongue, loss of tongue coating, morphological changes of the tongue (e.g., beefy tongue), and may also suffer from tongue pain and loss of taste. In cases of iron deficiency anemia, glossitis symptoms are also quite common, affecting nearly half of patients. These symptoms typically manifest as angular cheilitis, a smooth tongue surface, and tongue atrophy. To alleviate these symptoms, patients can, under medical guidance, take oral iron supplements, which effectively improve the anemic condition and relieve discomfort caused by glossitis.