Man's taste buds disappear
by Mark Frauenfelder from on (#4SR96)
A 64-year-old man went to the doctor complaining of pain in his tongue and mouth. Upon examination, doctors found the patient's tongue to be missing taste buds. He was diagnosed with pernicious anemia, which is caused by an inability to absorb vitamin B-12, needed to make red blood cells.
The condition was reversed after weekly injections of B-12.
[via New England Journal of Medicine]
Image: National University of Singapore