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

Infective Causes of Vulvitis
Session Overview
Description
This session covers the common and/or important infective causes of vulvitis and their management, other symptoms and signs associated with infective vulvitis, 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 vulvitis in adults
• Describe other symptoms and signs associated with infective vulvitis
• List the preferred diagnostic tests for identifying the various infective causes of vulvitis
• Identify treatment regimens for the effective management of infective vulvitis
• 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 the following:

• Module 1/Sexual History (260-0004)
• Module 1/Female Genital Examination (260-0010)

Vulvitis is defined as inflammation of the vulva of any cause. It may be caused by a wide range of conditions including dermatoses and infections, and infection can complicate an underlying dermatological condition.

The vulva describes the external female genitalia including the introitus, labia minora and labia majora. This session also includes the groins and hair bearing areas, as infections are often found in these sites as well.

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