Vulvitis: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, Complications, Prevention, Expectations, Exams and Tests, incidence and risk factors

Vulvitis

Is inflammation of the external female genitalia (vulva). The vulva includes the "lips" or folds of skin, the clitoris and the openings of the urethra and vagina.

Causes, incidence and risk factors

Vulvitis may be caused by a number of conditions, among which are:

* Allergies, particularly to soaps, colored toilet paper, vaginal sprays, laundry detergents, bubble bath, or fragrances
* Dermatitis, seborrhea or eczema prolonged
* Fungal and bacterial infections, pediculosis, or scabies

Vulvitis can affect women of all ages. The condition may be due to low estrogen levels in young women and women who have reached menopause.

Symptoms

The following symptoms affecting the skin in the vulvar area:

* Burning or itching
* Possible small cracks in the vulvar skin
* Possible vaginal discharge
* Redness and swelling
* Thickening of the skin

Exams and Tests

A pelvic examination reveals redness and thickening and may reveal cracks or skin lesions on the vulva.

If you have any vaginal discharge, a wet prep can show that an infection such as vulvovaginitis or vaginitis, is the cause.

Treatment

Stop using any products that may cause irritation. Apply cortisone cream counter two or three times a day over the affected area, up to a week. If these measures do not relieve symptoms, see a doctor.

Vaginal infections should be treated appropriately. You can use a cortisone cream to decrease vulvar itching.

If treatment fails, you can make a skin biopsy to rule out vulvar dystrophy, or vulvar dysplasia, a precancerous condition. It also may require a biopsy if you have any skin lesions.

Expectations (prognosis)

The itching can be difficult to control, but after identifying and treating the cause, should disappear in a few weeks.

Complications

Itching of the vulva may be a sign of genital warts (human papillomavirus, HPV, by its initials in English), vulvar dystrophy, or cancerous or precancerous conditions of the vulva.

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), which can cause vulvitis, may lead to other problems such as infertility, and should be treated appropriately.

Calling your health care

Make an appointment with the doctor if symptoms and do not respond to measures of care or if vaginal discharge accompanies the symptoms. Also call if you notice sores on the vulva.

Prevention

Daily cleansing with mild soap, adequate rinsing and thorough drying of the genital area may help.

Avoid using aerosol sprays, fragrances, or powders for feminine hygiene products in the genital area.

Similarly, avoid the use of pants or shorts are too tight can cause irritation by constantly rubbing against the skin and also reduce air circulation.

Wear cotton underwear or pantyhose with cotton. Avoid clothing made of silk or nylon, because these materials are highly absorbent and restrict airflow. This can increase sweating in the genital area, which can cause irritation and may provide a better environment for infectious organisms.

Do not wear sweaty exercise clothing for long periods.

The infections can be spread by intimate or sexual contact can be prevented or minimized by avoiding sexual activity or practicing safer sex behaviors.

Xanthoma: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, prognosis, Prevention, Other Names, health care, Exams and Tests, incidence and risk factors

Xanthoma

It is a skin condition in which fat is deposited beneath the skin surface.

Causes, incidence and risk factors

Xanthomas are common, especially among older adults and among people with high blood lipids.

Xanthomas may vary in size. Some are very small, while others are bigger than 3 inches (7, 5 cm) in diameter. They can appear anywhere on the body but occur most often on the elbows, joints, tendons, knees, hands, feet and buttocks.

Xanthomas may be a sign of a medical condition that involves an increase in blood lipids. Some of these disorders are:

* Diabetes
* Primary biliary cirrhosis
* Certain cancers
* Inherited metabolic disorders such as familial hypercholesterolemia

The eyelid xanthelasma is a common type of xanthoma that appears on the eyelids.

Symptoms

A xanthoma looks like a sore or bump under the skin and usually flat, soft to the touch and yellow, with clearly defined edges.



Exams and Tests

The doctor examines the skin and usually can diagnose a xanthoma simply by looking. A biopsy of the tumor shows a fatty deposit.

Treatment

If a person has a disease that causes increased blood lipids, treating the condition can help reduce development of xanthomas.

The doctor may remove the tumor if it gets annoying, however, xanthomas may come back after surgery.

Expectations (prognosis)

The tumor is not cancerous and painless, but can be a sign of another medical condition.
Complications

The growth may cause a change in the appearance of the person, which is called cosmetic disfiguring.
Calling your health care

Call your health care provider if xanthomas develop which may indicate an underlying disorder that needs treatment.

Prevention

Controlling blood lipids, including triglycerides and cholesterol, may help reduce the development of xanthomas.

Alternative Names

Skin growths fatty; Xanthelasma

Xeroderma Pigmentosa: Causes, Symptoms, Exams and Tests, Treatment, Forecast, Prevention

Xeroderma Pigmentosa


It is a rare condition that is passed down through families in which the skin and the tissue covering the eye is extremely sensitive to ultraviolet light.

Causes

Ultraviolet light, like that found in sunlight damages the genetic material (DNA) in cells of the skin, but usually the body repairs this damage. However, in people with xeroderma pigmentosa, the body does not fix the damage as a result, the skin becomes very thin and appear patches of varying colors (mottled pigmentation).

The condition also causes spidery blood vessels in the skin (telangiectasia) and skin cancer. The latter often occurs before the child is 5 years.

Symptoms

* Sunburn that does not heal after a bit of sun exposure
* Blisters after a bit of sun exposure
* Arachnoid blood vessels under the skin
* Patches of discolored skin that get worse
* Crusting of skin
* Peeling skin
* Skin surface oozing raw
* Discomfort when being in bright light (photophobia)

Exams and Tests

The doctor will perform a physical exam and ask if you have a family history of xeroderma pigmentosa.

An eye exam may show:

* Cloudy cornea
* Keratitis
* Lid tumors
* Blepharitis

The following tests can help diagnose the condition in a baby before birth:

* Amniocentesis
* Chorionic villus sampling
* Culture of amniotic cells

The following tests can help diagnose the disorder after birth:

* Culture of skin fibroblasts
* Skin biopsy

Treatment

Children with this condition require total protection from sunlight. Even the light coming through windows and fluorescent bulbs is dangerous.

When these children have to go into the sun should wear protective clothing.

Use high protection sunscreen (SPF of 70 or more) and very dark glasses with ultraviolet light protection. Your doctor may prescribe medications to help prevent certain skin cancers.
Support Groups

Forecast

Most people with this problem die of skin cancer in early adulthood.
Possible complications

* Change in skin appearance (deformation)
* Skin cancer

When to Contact a Medical Professional

Call for an appointment if you or your child has symptoms of xeroderma pigmentosa.

Prevention

Experts recommend genetic counseling for people with a family history of xeroderma pigmentosa who wish to conceive.

Shingles: Causes, Symptoms, Exams and Tests, Treatment, medicines, Possible complications

Shingles

It is a painful, blistering skin rash due to varicella-zoster virus that causes chickenpox.

Causes

After you get chickenpox, the virus remains inactive (dormant) in certain nerves. Shingles occurs after the virus reactivates in these nerves after many years.

The reason why the virus becomes active again is not clear. Often only one attack.

Shingles can develop in any age group, but one is more likely to develop the condition if:

* Has over 60 years
* He gave chickenpox before their first birthday
* Your immune system is weakened by medications or disease

If an adult or child has direct contact with the herpes zoster rash and has not had chickenpox as a child or has not received the vaccine against this disease, can develop chickenpox rather than shingles.

Symptoms

The first symptom is usually pain on one side, tingling or burning. The pain and burning may be severe and generally occur before any rash appears.

In most people, form patches on the skin, followed by small blisters.

* The blisters break, forming small ulcers that begin to dry and form scabs, which fall in two to three weeks. Scarring is rare.
* The rash usually involves a narrow area of the spine around the front of the ventral or chest.
* The rash may involve the face, eyes, mouth and ears.



Additional symptoms may include:

* Abdominal pain
* Chills
* Difficulty moving some of the muscles in the face
* Drooping eyelid (ptosis)
* Fever and chills
* General ill feeling
* Genital lesions
* Headache
* Hearing loss
* Joint pain
* Loss of eye movement
* Swollen lymph nodes
* Problems with taste
* Vision problems

It also may have pain, muscle weakness and a rash that involves different parts of the face if shingles affects a nerve in the face.

Exams and Tests

The doctor can diagnose by looking at your skin and asking questions about your medical history.

Rarely tests are needed, but may include taking a skin sample to see if you are infected with the virus that causes shingles.

Laboratory tests may show an increase in white blood cells and antibodies to the chickenpox virus but can not confirm that the rash is due to shingles.



Treatment

Shingles usually disappears spontaneously and only need treatment for pain relief.

Your doctor may prescribe a medicine that fights the virus, called antiviral, which helps reduce pain and complications and shorten the course of the disease. You can use acyclovir, famciclovir and valacyclovir.

The medications should be started within 24 hours of feeling pain or burning, and preferably before the blisters appear. Usually, the drugs are given as pills, in much higher doses than those recommended for herpes or genital herpes. It is possible that some people need to be administered the drug intravenously (IV).

Strong anti-inflammatory medications called corticosteroids such as prednisone, can be used to reduce inflammation and risk of continued pain. These drugs do not work in all patients.

Other medicines may include:

* Antihistamines to reduce itching (taken by mouth or applied to the skin)
* Analgesics
* Zostrix, a cream containing capsaicin (an extract of pepper) to prevent post-herpetic neuralgia

They can be used wet and cold compresses to reduce pain. Soothing baths and lotions such as colloidal oatmeal bath, starch baths, or calamine lotion can help relieve itching and discomfort.

It is also recommended bed rest until the fever goes down.

You must keep the skin clean and reuse contaminated items. Similarly, non-disposable items should be washed in boiling water or otherwise disinfected before reuse. The person may need to be isolated while lesions are oozing to prevent infection of others, especially pregnant women.
Forecast

Shingles usually clears up in two or three weeks and rarely recurs. If the virus affects the nerves that control movement (motor nerves) may be weakness or temporary or permanent paralysis.

Sometimes the pain in the area where the shingles occurred may last from months to years.

Possible complications

Sometimes the pain in the area where the shingles occurred may last for months or years. This pain is called postherpetic neuralgia and occurs when nerves are damaged after an outbreak of shingles. The pain ranges from mild to very severe and more likely to occur in people over 60 years.

Other complications may include:

* Another attack of shingles
* Blindness (if lesions occur in the eye)
* Deafness
* Infection, including encephalitis or sepsis (blood infection) in people with weakened immune systems
* Bacterial skin infections
* Ramsay Hunt syndrome if shingles affects the nerves in the face

When to Contact a Medical Professional

Call your doctor if you have symptoms of shingles, particularly if you have defenses or if symptoms persist or worsen. Shingles that affects the eye can lead to permanent blindness if you do not receive emergency medical care.
Prevention

Avoid touching the rash and blisters of persons with shingles or chickenpox if you have never had chickenpox or has not been immunized against this disease.

The varicella vaccine may be recommended for teenagers or adults who have never had chickenpox. Medical evidence has shown that older adults who receive the vaccine are less likely to have complications from shingles. Adults over 60 should receive the vaccine as part of routine medical care.

Alternative Names

Shingles