Non-Oncological and Non-Infectious Diseases of the Penis (Penile Lesions)

Itch in Organs Beyond the Skin

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The purpose of this review was to explore mechanisms, causes, and therapies of itchy conditions involving organs beyond the skin including the eyes, ears, nose, and genital region.

RECENT FINDINGS

Conditions which cause itch in these locations vary from skin diseases that extend to these areas (i.e., atopic dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, and psoriasis) to allergic conditions (i.e., allergic rhinitis and conjunctivitis) and to neuropathic conditions that relate to afferent nerve fiber damage (i.e., lumbosacral radiculopathies in genital disease) as well as some psychological components. Similar to the skin, itch in these locations involves a complex interaction between epithelial cells, unmyelinated C nerve fibers, and cytokines. There is also a significant component of neural sensitization phenomena. Mechanisms of itch beyond the skin are currently an understudied topic that affects millions of patients. Future research should be done in order to further understand the pathophysiology of itch in these body sites.

Inverse psoriasis involving genital skin folds: successful therapy with dapsone

Introduction

Inverse psoriasis is a rare form of psoriasis that affects between 3% and 7% of the patients with psoriasis. It can comprise genital skin folds as part of genital psoriasis, and it is one of the most commonly seen dermatoses of this area. There are few evidence-based studies about the treatment of intertriginous psoriasis involving genital skin folds.

Case Presentation

The authors present a 42-year-old female patient with erythematous plaques in the vulva, groin, and perianal region. The patient had previously received a broad range of topical and systemic therapies that had to be discontinued due to ineffectiveness or side effects. She was treated with 100 mg dapsone daily for 10 months, showing a significant improvement of her cutaneous and mucous lesions. Complete clearance of psoriatic lesions was observed after 4 weeks of treatment. She has remained in remission for up to 2 years, using only topical therapy with tacrolimus 0.1% and calcipotriol.

Discussion

Genital psoriasis is a skin disease that causes great discomfort. It is important to include examination of the genital region and to adopt this conduct in daily clinical practice. Research in this field is still poor, making no discrimination between flexural and genital psoriasis, and is based on case series and expert opinion; therefore, empirical recommendations for the treatment of genital psoriasis remain. Dapsone has been shown to be an effective and convenient alternative for the treatment of inverse psoriasis in genital skin folds, which can provide effective control of the disease. Further studies are required to determine the efficacy and safety of current therapies, and to decide whether dapsone therapy should be considered in the management of this form of psoriasis when topical and other systemic agents are not effective.

Quality of life and sexual health in patients with genital psoriasis

BACKGROUND

Knowledge about quality of life and sexual health in patients with genital psoriasis is limited.

OBJECTIVES

We studied quality of life and sexual function in a large group of patients with genital psoriasis by means of validated questionnaires. In addition, we evaluated whether sufficient attention is given by healthcare professionals to sexual problems in patients with psoriasis, as perceived by the patients.

METHODS

A self-administered questionnaire was sent to 1579 members of the Dutch Psoriasis Association. Sociodemographic patient characteristics, medical data and scores of several validated questionnaires regarding quality of life (Dermatology Life Quality Index) and sexual health (Sexual Quality of Life Questionnaire for use in Men, International Index of Erectile Function, Female Sexual Distress Scale and Female Sexual Function Index) were collected and analysed.

RESULTS

This study (n = 487) shows that psoriasis has a detrimental effect on quality of life and sexual health. Patients with genital lesions reported even significantly worse quality of life than patients without genital lesions (mean ± SD quality of life scores 8·5 ± 6·5 vs. 5·5 ± 4·6, respectively, P < 0·0001). Sexual distress and dysfunction are particularly prominent in women (reported by 37·7% and 48·7% of the female patients, respectively). Sexual distress is especially high when genital skin is affected (mean ± SD sexual distress score in patients with genital lesions 16·1 ± 12·1 vs. 10·1 ± 9·7 in patients without genital lesions, P = 0·001). The attention given to possible sexual problems in the psoriasis population by healthcare professionals is perceived as insufficient by patients.

CONCLUSIONS

In addition to quality of life, sexual health is diminished in a considerable number of patients with psoriasis and particularly women with genital lesions have on average high levels of sexual distress. We underscore the need for physicians to pay attention to the impact of psoriasis on psychosocial and sexual health when treating patients for this skin disease.