Sexual Health | Vaginal discharge, vulvitis and balanitis | Infective Causes of Balanitis

Infective Causes of Balanitis
Session Overview
Description
This session covers the common and important infective causes of balanitis and their management, other symptoms and signs associated with infective balanitis, diagnostic techniques needed to identify the cause, and when empirical treatment is appropriate.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this session you will be able to:

• Describe the common and/or important causes of infective balanitis in adults
• Describe other symptoms and signs associated with infective balanitis
• List the preferred diagnostic tests for identifying the various infective causes of balanitis
• Identify treatment regimens for the effective management of infective balanitis
• Describe when use of empirical treatment is appropriate
• Identify the infective causes that require management of the sexual partner(s)

Prerequisites
Before commencing this session you should complete:

• Module 1/Sexual History (260-0004)
• Module 1/Male Genital Examination (260-0009)

Inflammation of the glans is known as balanitis and may often extend onto the prepuce (balanoposthitis). It is a common condition, affecting more than 10% of men attending Genitourinary Medicine clinics. Usually, balanitis is not infective, but may be caused by a variety of dermatological conditions and premalignancy (Table 1). The dermatological conditions are covered in Module 10/Genital Dermatoses (260-0123).

The appearance of balanitis can vary from minimal patchy erythema to florid erythematous plaques, and the term is a general clinical description. There are a number of predisposing factors including phimosis (a non-retractile foreskin), poor hygiene and underlying medical conditions such as diabetes mellitus.

This session aims to review the clinical features and supporting investigations which will help to differentiate between the common infective causes of balanitis.