Clinico-etiological study of genital lesions at a tertiary care center in Pune, India

Abstract

<p><strong>Background: </strong>Disorders affecting the genitalia are a global health problem of significant magnitude. They comprise conditions which may or may not be sexually transmitted. Often it becomes impossible to make a reliable etiological diagnosis on clinical grounds alone. There is a paucity of data about the burden and pattern of genital disorders in our setting. This study was undertaken to identify the prevalent trends and clinic-etiological profile of genital lesions.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>100 consecutive cases presenting with genital disorders to dermatology OPD of Sassoon General Hospital, Pune, India from June 2019 to March 2020, were enrolled in this observational, cross sectional study. Patients were subjected to thorough history, clinical examination and requisite microbiological and serological investigations. Etiological diagnosis was reached after correlation of history, clinical findings and investigations.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>100 patients comprised 70 males and 30 females. Age group ranged from 2 months to 75 years (mean 37.8 years). Majority of patients belonged to 21-30 years age group. Total 78% patients had (STI) while 22% had non-STI. 13% were HIV sero-positive. 12% patients were diabetic. In 54% cases, microbiological findings confirmed the clinical diagnosis.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study emphasizes that sexually transmitted infections continue to be a prominent cause of genital lesions, particularly in young sexually active individuals. However, various non-venereal dermatological disorders may manifest on the genitalia at any age, leading to diagnostic difficulty. A meticulous clinical examination supported by appropriate laboratory evaluation is the key to distinguish venereal and non-venereal dermatoses.</p><p><strong> </strong></p>

Clinico-Etiological Aspects of Patients Suffering from Genital Lesions: A Cross-Sectional Study from India

“…Among HIV-seropositive patients, 63.3% had non-STIs, contrary to a previous study (11) in which 77% of HIVseropositive patients had STIs. The human immunodeficiency virus is known to be associated with STIs (21); however, its relationship with non-STIs has still not been established and warrants further research.…”

“…The majority of patients with STIs had lesions of viral etiology (42.5%), with herpes genitalis being the most common, consistent with Tekam et al's findings (11). J Skin Stem Cell.…”

“…The majority of non-STI cases had lesions of fungal etiology, with tinea cruris leading the list. Pottipati et al (9) and Tekam et al (11) reported vitiligo and candidial balanoposthitis as the most common non-STI lesions, respectively. Similar to Marcos-Pinto et al's study (12), the present study showed that SCC was the most frequent malignant lesion.…”

“…Tekam et al (11) reported that over half of their participants presented with STIs. In the present study, the proportion of non-STI cases (53.75%) was marginally higher, with a higher number of males in the sexually active age group, potentially due to a greater propensity for high-risk sexual behavior.…”

“…Tekam et al (11) demonstrated that herpes genitalis and genital warts were the predominant STIs in males and females, respectively. In the present study, the most common STI in males was herpes; however, in females, it was vulvovaginal candidiasis, consistent with Elfaituri S' findings (17).…”