Korean J Dermatol.
2021 Feb;59(2):118-124.
Clinical Analysis of Vulvar Dermatoses Seen in the Department of Dermatology from the Perspective of Hygiene Management in Vulvar Eczema
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Dermatology, Busan Paik Hospital, College of Medicine, Inje University, Busan, Korea
- 2Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease Center, College of Medicine, Inje University, Korea
- 3Department of Dermatology, Haeundae Paik Hospital, College of Medicine, Inje University, Busan, Korea
Abstract
- Background
Vulvar dermatoses are common, but numerous obstacles impede their adequate clinical investigation. Many outpatient patients with vulvar dermatoses had inappropriate behavioral habits to manage their diseases.
Objective
This study was performed to investigate the clinical aspects of vulvar dermatoses and to evaluate the proper management for vulvar eczema and pruritus vulvae.
Methods
We retrospectively reviewed medical records from female patients presenting with vulvar dermatoses in a tertiary hospital and analyzed the age, clinical manifestation, diagnosis, and further evaluated treatment and clinical course of vulvar eczema and pruritus vulvae.
Results
A total of 163 patients were reviewed in this study. The most frequent type of skin manifestation was macule/patch, with itching as the most common symptom. Lichen simplex chronicus (35, 21.5%) was the most common dermatosis, followed by lichen sclerosus et atrophicus (21, 12.9%) and Behcet’s disease (18, 11.0%). In addition, 57 patients (35.0%) suffered from acute/chronic vulvar eczema or pruritus vulvae and over half of them had been misdiagnosed as fungal infection or had mistreated themselves with multiple self-products. These patients mostly showed good response to hygiene management plus low potency topical corticosteroids.
Conclusion
In this study, we identified clinically common vulvar dermatoses in a cohort of women visiting our dermatology clinic. We found that patients with vulvar eczema or pruritus vulvae suffered from misdiagnosis and inappropriate self-management sustained patients’ problems. They could be effectively controlled by education of hygiene management with/without steroids. Further prospective investigation with a larger group of patients would provide better understanding of the characteristics of vulvar dermatoses.
