TY  - CHAP
T1  - Balanitis and related inflammatory conditions affecting the penis
T2  - Urogenital Infections and Inflammations
AU  - Morris, Brian
AU  - Krieger, John N.
ED  - Naber, Kurt G.
AD  - Professor Emeritus Brian Morris, University of Sydney, School of Medical Sciences, Building F13, 2006, Sydney, Australien, Phone: +61-2-9351-3688, E-mail: brian.morris@sydney.edu.au
N2  - Inflammatory skin conditions of the glans (balanitis) and foreskin (posthitis) are common in uncircumcised males of all ages. Related conditions include: lichen sclerosus, psoriasis, lichen planus, schorrheic dermatitis, and Zoon (plasma cell) balanitis. These conditions often present with itching, tenderness and pain, cause significant morbidity, can be challenging to treat medically and add to the burden of health-care costs. Reducing the prevalence of penile inflammation is therefore important. In this chapter we present a systematic review of the medical literature, focusing on balanitis, balanoposthitis and lichen sclerosus. We also consider the beneficial effect of male circumcision, which, by removing the foreskin, affords substantial protection against penile inflammation. The degree of reduction in prevalence of balanitis by circumcision was found to be 68% in a meta-analysis (OR=0.32; 95% CI 0.20–0.52). Another meta-analysis showed that balanitis is associated with a 3.8-fold increased risk of penile cancer (95% CI 1.6–9.1). Yeasts and other microorganisms accumulate under the foreskin and contribute to inflammation of the surrounding penile tissue. The prevalence of penile inflammatory conditions greatly exceeds the incidence of adverse events associated with circumcision procedures of 0.4% in infancy and 1.5% or more in older males, most adverse events being minor and easily treated. Because of the potential seriousness of penile inflammation and its consequences, especially in immunocompromised, diabetic and some other patients, the high lifetime incidence of penile inflammation and the strong protection afforded by circumcision, this simple, safe procedure, best performed early in infancy, should be more widely adopted.
PY  - 2018
DA  - 2018/03/15
DO  - 10.5680/lhuii000027
LA  - en
L1  - https://books.publisso.de/de/system/getFile/34
UR  - https://dx.doi.org/10.5680/lhuii000027
L2  - https://dx.doi.org/10.5680/lhuii000027
KW  - circumcision
KW  - foreskin
KW  - male
KW  - infancy
KW  - childhood
KW  - adult
KW  - meta-analysis
KW  - bacteria
KW  - balanitis
KW  - posthitis
KW  - lichen sclerosis
KW  - inflammatory conditions
PB  - German Medical Science GMS Publishing House
CY  - Duesseldorf
ER  -