A 70‐year‐old man presented with dysphagia and difficulty in moving the tongue. Macroscopic findings showed features resembling mild tongue atrophy. We suspected a neurodegenerative disease which causes tongue atrophy such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. A needle electromyogram showed a strong resistance from the tongue owing to its hardness. Detection of Bence Jones protein κ type M protein in the serum led to a diagnosis of multiple myeloma‐associated light‐chain (κ) type amyloidosis. Thus, in patients with a rugose‐textured and uneven tongue mimicking atrophy, macroglossia caused by amyloidosis should be considered by examining the tongue hardness.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.