Patient's question:
Symptom Description: Had a bad smell since birth, with no other symptoms. Past Treatment and Effect: No treatment has been administered. Desired Help: What caused it, and how should it be treated?Doctor's answer:
Vaginal inflammation in female infants is mostly caused by the underdevelopment of the external genitalia during the infant and early childhood period, low estrogen levels, strong resistance of the vaginal epithelium, and the close proximity of the vagina to the anus, making it susceptible to bacterial infections. The infection pathogens can be transmitted through bathtubs, hands, or poor hygiene, unclean external genitalia, and frequent contamination with feces. It is important to maintain cleanliness of the external genitalia. The external genitalia can be soaked in a high-manganese potassium permanganate solution at a ratio of 1:10,000. Foreign objects in the vagina must be removed as soon as possible. The vagina can be flushed with a 0.5–1% lactic acid solution through a rubber catheter inserted into the vagina, and sulfonamide or antibiotic creams can be injected through the catheter once daily, with a course of 5–7 days. Local estrogen cream can promote the resolution of inflammation. A 0.1mg ethinyl estradiol cream should be applied to the deep part of the vagina with a small cotton swab once daily for 2 weeks, followed by every 3–4 days for a total treatment duration of 4–6 weeks. Since the child is young, medication treatment can be temporarily postponed.