Balanitis is

inflammation Inflammation (from ) is part of the biological response of body tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. The five cardinal signs are heat, pain, redness, swelling, and loss of function (Latin ''calor'', '' ...

of the

glans penis In male human anatomy, the glans penis or penile glans, commonly referred to as the glans, (; from Latin ''glans'' meaning "acorn") is the bulbous structure at the Anatomical terms of location#Proximal and distal, distal end of the human penis ...

. Balanoposthitis is the proper term when the

foreskin In male Human body, human anatomy, the foreskin, also known as the prepuce (), is the double-layered fold of Human skin, skin, Mucous membrane, mucosal and Muscle tissue, muscular tissue at the distal end of the human penis that covers the glans ...

is also affected. Balanitis on boys in diapers must be distinguished from redness caused by ammoniacal

dermatitis Dermatitis is a term used for different types of skin inflammation, typically characterized by itchiness, redness and a rash. In cases of short duration, there may be small blisters, while in long-term cases the skin may become thickened ...

Etymology

The word ''balanitis'' is from the Greek βάλανος'' '', literally meaning '

acorn The acorn is the nut (fruit), nut of the oaks and their close relatives (genera ''Quercus'', ''Notholithocarpus'' and ''Lithocarpus'', in the family Fagaceae). It usually contains a seedling surrounded by two cotyledons (seedling leaves), en ...

' because of the similarity in shape to the

. ''-Itis'' is a suffix from the Greek for 'inflammation'. ''Posthe'' is the Greek word meaning 'foreskin'.

Signs and symptoms

* Small red erosions on the glans (first sign) * Redness of the foreskin * Redness of the penis * Other rashes on the head of the penis * Foul-smelling discharge * Painful foreskin and penis

Complications

Recurrent bouts of balanitis may cause scarring of the preputial orifice; the reduced elasticity may lead to pathologic

phimosis Phimosis (from Greek language, Greek φίμωσις ''phimōsis'' 'muzzling') is a condition in which the foreskin of the Human penis, penis cannot stretch to allow it to be pulled back past the Glans penis, glans. A balloon-like swelling under ...

. Further complications may include: * Stricture of urinary meatus *

Paraphimosis Paraphimosis is an uncommon medical condition in which the foreskin of a penis becomes trapped behind the glans penis, and cannot be ''reduced'' (pulled back to its normal flaccid position covering the glans). If this condition persists for severa ...

Causes

Inflammation Inflammation (from ) is part of the biological response of body tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. The five cardinal signs are heat, pain, redness, swelling, and loss of function (Latin ''calor'', '' ...

has many possible causes, including irritation by environmental substances, certain medications,

physical trauma Injury is physiology, physiological damage to the living tissue of any organism, whether Injury in humans, in humans, Injury in animals, in other animals, or Injury in plants, in plants. Injuries can be caused in many ways, including mechanic ...

, and

infection An infection is the invasion of tissue (biology), tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host (biology), host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmis ...

such as bacterial, viral, or fungal. Some of these infections are sexually transmitted, however a yeast infection, '' Candida balanitis'', is generally not categorized as such. It is less common among males who are circumcised; in many cases, a dysfunction of the

is a causal or contributing factor. Both not enough cleaning and too much cleaning can cause problems.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis may include careful identification of the cause with the aid of a good patient history, swabs and cultures, and pathological examination of a

biopsy A biopsy is a medical test commonly performed by a surgeon, interventional radiologist, an interventional radiologist, or an interventional cardiology, interventional cardiologist. The process involves the extraction of sampling (medicine), sample ...

Types

* Zoon's balanitis, also known as ''Balanitis Circumscripta Plasmacellularis'' or ''plasma cell balanitis'' (PCB), is an idiopathic, rare, benign penile dermatosisKeogh G. for which circumcision is often the preferred treatment. Zoon's balanitis has been successfully treated with the

carbon dioxide laser The carbon-dioxide laser (CO2 laser) was one of the earliest gas lasers to be developed. It was invented by C. Kumar N. Patel, Kumar Patel of Bell Labs in 1964 and is still one of the most useful types of laser. Carbon dioxide, Carbon-dioxide lase ...

; and more recently, Albertini and colleagues report the avoidance of circumcision and successful treatment of Zoon's balanitis with an Er:YAG laser. Another study, by Retamar and colleagues, found that 40 percent of those treated with CO₂ laser relapsed. * Circinate balanitis, also known as balanitis circinata, is a serpiginous annular dermatitis associated with reactive arthritis. * Pseudoepitheliomatous keratotic and micaceous balanitis

Treatment

Initial treatment in adults often involves simply pulling back the

and cleaning the penis. However, some topical antibiotic and fungal ointments may be used for treatment for mild cases. Depending upon severity, hydrocortisone and other steroidal creams may be used upon consultation.

Epidemiology

Balanitis "is a common condition affecting 11% of adult men seen in

urology Urology (from Ancient Greek, Greek wikt:οὖρον, οὖρον ''ouron'' "urine" and ''wiktionary:-logia, -logia'' "study of"), also known as genitourinary surgery, is the branch of medicine that focuses on surgical and medical diseases of t ...

clinics and 3% of children" in the United States; globally, balanitis "may occur in up to 3% of uncircumcised males".

Other animals

Balanoposthitis_canine_prepuce_discharge

In dogs, balanoposthitis is caused by a disruption in the integumentary system, such as a

wound A wound is any disruption of or damage to living tissue, such as skin, mucous membranes, or organs. Wounds can either be the sudden result of direct trauma (mechanical, thermal, chemical), or can develop slowly over time due to underlying diseas ...

or intrusion of a foreign body. A dog with this condition behaves normally, with the exception of excessive licking at the prepuce, and a yellow green, pus-like discharge is usually present. In sheep (rams/wethers), ulcerative enzootic balanoposthitis is caused by the '' Corynebacterium renale'' group (''C. renale, C. pilosum & C. cystidis''). For the condition in

bull A bull is an intact (i.e., not Castration, castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e. cows proper), bulls have long been an important symbol cattle in r ...

s, caused by a

virus A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living Cell (biology), cells of an organism. Viruses infect all life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea. Viruses are ...

see Bovine herpesvirus 1. Balanoposthitis is believed to have contributed to the decline to near-extinction of the marsupial Gilbert's potoroo.

References

External links

*
Dermatological atlas
{{Male diseases of the pelvis and genitals Circumcision debate Inflammations Penis disorders Theriogenology