Unintentional self-injury of the tongue in an aged patient with Alzheimer's disease and behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, successfully treated with Kampo medicine: A case report

It is not uncommon to encounter unintentional oral self-injury in aged patients. We present a case of oral self-injury of the tongue in an 80-year-old male triggered by an unintentional self-bite wound. The cause of persistent self-injury was suspected to be Alzheimer's disease with behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD); treatment was complicated by anticoagulant medication. Use of yokukansan, a Japanese herbal medicine, effectively allayed the BPSD, and healing was accomplished without anticoagulant discontinuation. In this case, local treatment with restrictive oral devices was insufficient, suggesting that early concomitant pharmacological treatment for BPSD may inevitably be needed for these patients.