The patient often will report spontaneous resolution of the lesion in one area, with the return of normal tongue architecture, only to have another appear in a different location of the tongue. Lesion activity may wax and wane over time and patients occasionally will be free of lesions. If lesions occur at other mucosal sites, the condition is termed erythema migrans. It has been reported with increased frequency in patients with psoriasis and patients with fissured tongue. Though this is an inflammatory condition histologically, a polygenic mode of inheritance has been suggested as it is seen clustering in families.
Geographic tongue is a benign condition.
No racial or ethnic predilection exists for this condition. Females have been reported to be affected twice as often as males. Exacerbations have been suggested to be related to hormonal factors. Patients with geographic tongue may present with a complaint of burning or irritation of the tongue noted with hot or spicy foods. Patients may report that the discomfort waxes and wanes over time and routinely describe that the lesions affect different areas of the tongue at different times.