Uremic Stomatitis: A Latin American Case Series and Literature Review

Uremic stomatitis is often unfamiliar to healthcare professionals. This study presents five cases of uremic stomatitis, providing a comprehensive analysis of their demographic distribution, clinicopathological features, and management strategies based on existing literature.

Data were collected from centers across Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, and Mexico. Electronic searches were conducted in five databases supplemented by manual scrutiny and gray literature.

The series consisted of three men and two women with a mean age of 40.2 years. Lesions mostly appeared as white plaques, particularly on the tongue (100%). The median blood urea level was 129 mg/dL. Histopathological analysis revealed epithelial changes, including acanthosis and parakeratosis, with ballooned keratinocytes in the suprabasal region. Oral lesions resolved subsequent to hemodialysis in three cases (75%). Thirty-seven studies comprising 52 cases of uremic stomatitis have been described hitherto. Most patients were male (65.4%) with a mean age of 43.6 years. Clinically, grayish-white plaques (37.3%) and ulcers/ulcerations (28.9%) were common, particularly on the tongue (30.9%). Hemodialysis was performed on 27 individuals. The resolution rate of oral lesions was 53.3%.

Earlier recognition of uremic stomatitis, possibly associated with long-term uremia, holds the potential to improve outcomes for patients with undiagnosed chronic kidney disease.