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Balanitis: what it is and how it is treated, an annoying frequent problem among men

2023-01-20T16:16:14.038Z


Urologists answer why the glans can be inflamed and what to do to treat it. There may be several causes that cause the glans, that is, the head of the penis, to become inflamed. The consequence, on the other hand, is usually the same: itching, redness, rash , pain, tenderness and swelling, and even discharge or pus under the foreskin, which can generate a bad smell. Balanitis can be really annoying, and even recurring. However, it has a simple treatment and does not usua


There may be several causes that cause the glans, that is, the head of the penis, to become inflamed.

The consequence, on the other hand, is usually the same:

itching, redness, rash

, pain, tenderness and swelling, and even discharge or pus under the foreskin, which can generate a bad smell.

Balanitis can be really annoying, and even recurring.

However, it has a

simple treatment

and does not usually involve major inconveniences.

This is indicated by two specialists in Urology consulted by

Clarín

.

"It is a fairly frequent entity, which we see in the doctor's office, especially in older adults," says Horacio Sanguinetti, a doctor in Urology, from the Argentine Center for Urology (CAU).

Although it is difficult to estimate its prevalence, it is estimated that

one in 10 men

who make a genitourinary consultation is for balanitis, he says.


Various causes can cause inflammation of the glans penis.

Illustrative photo Shutterstock.

Balanitis: what is it and what are its causes

"Balanitis is inflammation of the glans penis. It can have many causes, the most common being infectious diseases such as fungi, and then there are some other chronic inflammatory entities, for example balanitis xerotica obliterans, which is

chronic inflammation of the glans penis

that ends in a closure of the prepuce and meatus, where the pee comes out", describes the doctor in Urology Horacio Sanguinetti, from the Argentine Center of Urology (CAU).

Meanwhile, urologist Mariano Cohen, head of Andrology at the Hospital de Clínicas, adds that the factors that cause it include bacteria, viruses, allergens and the most frequent:

a fungus called Candida

.

In turn, it lists what is usually decisive in its appearance:

Contact dermatitis

: Some substances irritating the skin, such as soap, shower gel or condom latex can irritate the head of the penis and cause balanitis (contact-irritant balanitis).

Medications

: Certain types of pain relievers, sleeping pills, laxatives and antibiotics can also cause balanitis.

"This is called a fixed drug rash," he says.

Infections

: "Certain bacteria and fungi, such as Candida albicans, live naturally under the foreskin.

Heat, stress, lack of genital hygiene

or even the use of soap to clean the area can cause an imbalance in acid levels and cause bacteria to grow faster than usual. This can lead to balanitis (balanitis candida)," he adds.

Injuries

: Cuts or scratches on the tip of the penis or on the foreskin can sometimes cause balanitis.

Lichen sclerosus

: "It is an inflammatory skin disease that affects the foreskin. It can harden the foreskin and make it difficult to retract over the head of the penis (phimosis) and produce balanitis. Currently, many researchers classify balanitis xerotica as part of lichen sclerosus-type balanitis," Cohen explains.

Zoon

balanitis: It is also known as plasma cell balanitis.

"It is a generally asymptomatic disorder, of which the cause is unknown, and which is usually identified because patients present a bright red spot, generally on the glans penis," he specifies.

Diabetes

: People with diabetes are more susceptible to infections, and "an infection under the foreskin can cause balanitis," he points out.

How it is diagnosed, how it is treated and what the couple should do

Sanguinetti indicates that the diagnosis is clinical.

"The treatment can be local, with creams, with antifungals, corticosteroids that reduce inflammation in the area," he explains.

He also realizes that, if these treatments do not work, as long as it is a balanitis of fungal origin, the patient can be given a treatment by mouth, with

oral antifungals

.

"In general, it heals with that, but many times it

tends to recur

," he warns.

In this sense, he describes a very common scenario: many times, it is

the partners of the patients

who have fungus, even if they have few symptoms, which is why the person contracts balanitis again.

"Not only by having relationships, even by sharing towels, or some elements can be infected," he alerts.

In these cases, it is advisable to consult with the gynecologist to

medicate or treat both members of the couple

, "even when we give medication orally, it is often convenient for both to take it, so the fungus is eradicated at the same time for both of them and stop infecting each other," he says.

Although it is not a sexually transmitted infection, in some cases the partner must also be treated.

Illustrative photo Shutterstock.

Men with diabetes, more vulnerable

As detailed above, diabetes favors the presence of phimosis.

"Patients re-infect so many times that eventually many end up having a circumcision, as this causes

the skin of the glans to change

, become more resistant, and decrease the chance of having these reinfections or complications," Sanguinetti says.

The infection does not pose great risks.

"In itself it is a fairly painless disease," reassures the doctor in Urology, although he warns that "if it is recurrent and there is chronic inflammation and associated above all with phimosis, there may be some long-term complication."

***

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Source: clarin

All news articles on 2023-01-20

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