Balanitis in Almaty
Balanitis is an inflammatory process affecting the glans penis. In many instances, balanitis occurs in children, particularly when the glans penis is covered by the foreskin, and is often associated with a condition called phimosis, which involves a narrow foreskin.
Balanitis can be classified as primary or secondary. Primary balanitis may result from a fungal or bacterial infection developing beneath the skin of the foreskin. This can occur in the presence of congenital phimosis, urinary retention, or the accumulation of smegma in the preputial sac, which is formed by the foreskin.
Secondary balanitis occurs due to the introduction of infections through the urethra, with the infection originating elsewhere in the body and affecting the glans penis and foreskin. Examples of such infections include gonorrhea, trichomonas, syphilis, and others.
Symptoms of balanitis
The primary symptoms of balanitis include pain, itching, redness, and swelling in the region of the glans penis. Subsequently, there may be the development of purulent discharge from beneath the foreskin. Additionally, enlargement of the inguinal lymph nodes may occur.
If not treated by specialists in a timely manner, complications such as narrowing of the urethra, phimosis, and associated complications like paraphimosis, as well as, in rare cases, malignant neoplasms, may develop.