Tongue Piercing Causes Brain Abscess

New Scientist ^ | 12-13-2001 | Jeff Hecht

[blam]

Tongue piercing causes brain abscess

14:41 13 December 01
Jeff Hecht

Parents now have another reason to frown on tongue piercing - a potentially fatal brain abscess suffered by a young woman in Connecticut.

The woman's tongue became sore and swollen two or three days after it was pierced, and she reported a foul-tasting discharge from the pierced region. The infection healed in a few days after she removed the stud from her tongue, but a month later she suffered severe headaches, fever, nausea and vomiting.

A scan at the Yale University hospital revealed the brain abscess, which physicians drained. She recovered after six weeks of intravenous antibiotic treatment.

"This sort of brain abscess is very serious," Richard Martinello of Yale's medical school told New Scientist. Modern medicine can kill the infecting bacteria, but he says "in the past, there was a very high mortality rate."

In the blood

Such brain abscesses are rare, and normally linked to sinus or ear infections. The patient showed no sign of sinus problems, and Martinello said the bacteria that cause the brain abscess "were those typically found in persons' mouths".

The blood commonly picks up some bacteria from infections, but normally the immune system wipes them out. In this case, he thinks the blood carried enough bacteria from the tongue infection to cause the brain abscess.

Infections at the sites of body piercings are relatively common, but this is the first brain abscess linked to any piercing. The tongue is particularly vulnerable to infections because the mouth is warm, moist and full of bacteria.

Martinello says it is important to realise that such infections have the potential to cause dangerous complications.

14:41 13 December 01

[blam]

Title should say, "Brain Damage Necessary Before Tongue Piercing."

[JenB]

Funny, I always knew tongue piercings were a sign of brain damage - I just thought the damage came first!

[Uncle George]

Is that a hole I see in Hitlerys tongue?

[realpatriot71]

Two Words: Isolated Incident

[chainsaw]

Is that a hole I see in Hitlerys tongue?

No. What you are looking at is an in omplete split tongue. Did you see any fangs folded up?

[RANGERAIRBORNE]

LOL! You beat me to it- I was going to re-title this post "BRAIN ABSCESSES CAUSE TONGUE PIERCING"!

(And don't ANY of you try to explain the joys of having your tongue pierced to me- I've been around the globe several times, and even attended a couple of goat-ropings and a chili coook-off- and I STILL don't understand these morons!)

[Mr. K]

I am actually all for tongue piercing...

It helps recognize who the stupid people are and they do it willingly! (as opposed to my plan to stamp a big red S on their forehead)

[FormerLib]

Natural selection always finds a way.

[NatureGirl]

I am actually all for tongue piercing...

Sign on Jeff 'n' Akbar's Piercing Hut:

"Remember - It's not self-mutilation if we do it for you!!"

[TightSqueeze]

The woman's tongue became…

If I should ever become single again, and the chance is quite remote, I will only date women who have pierced their tongue, it would be the prudent thing to do, except of course if you live in Virginia.

[ChemistCat]

The nice thing about tongue piercing and body modification causing brain abscesses is that it can make ABSOLUTEY NO DIFFERENCE--these folks aren't using their brains anyway.

Note: this is a real photo of a real person. And he LIKES it like this. It don't take all kinds, we just got all kinds.....

[Capitalist Eric]

A Poster-child for retroactive birth control...

[ChemistCat]

I keep wondering how his mother feels about all this. You'd think that alone would keep someone from doing this--knowing he was putting lizard skin around eyes he inherited from his parents....

But the picture amazes me so much that I definitely remember it when a thread like this pops up on FR. If he wanted to be memorable, he managed it.

[Hank Kerchief]

This is almost cause for changing one's view to pro-choice, heh?

Hank

[Hillary's Lovely Legs]

I think tongue piercing is not only stupid, but it's hideous. Many girls do it because they say it brings more pleasure for men during Monica Acts. I can't fathom the low self esteem it must take to mutilate your body for someone else's desires.

If parents only knew why their little precious darlings were doing this, they would be more horrified than they already are.

[Hillary's Lovely Legs]

I saw that lizard guy on TV. He and his wife are both tattoo artists and tattoo each other. She has her entire face and body tattooed like a tiger. It's not a good look.

[Mr. K]

I hope you read the rest of my post- where I said I preferred tongue piercing over my original plan to stamp a big 'S' on the forehead of the stupid people, because they will do the piercing thing willingly :)

[Hillary's Lovely Legs]

With tongue piercing you don't need the Big S. You just open your mouth and remove all doubt.