Patient's question:
My wife has been feeling some white discharge in her legs for the past few days. The area outside her vagina is particularly itchy, and the itching won't stop. She said she can't even go to work properly, and today she was criticized by her company's leader for not being serious. She's a very shy person and feels embarrassed to go to the hospital for a thorough check-up. I want to know what disease this could be?Doctor's answer:
This should be a case of candidal vulvovaginitis. The most common symptoms of candidal vulvovaginitis are increased vaginal discharge, burning and itching of the external genitalia and vagina, and external urinary difficulties. It may also present as a map-like erythema of the external genitalia (candidal or candidal vulvovaginitis). The typical vaginal discharge appears as curd-like or in pieces, with highly red and swollen vaginal mucosa. White cottage cheese-like plaques can be observed, which are easily detachable, revealing a disorganized base of damaged mucosa underneath, or forming shallow ulcers. In severe cases, ecchymosis may be left behind. However, vaginal discharge does not always exhibit the above typical characteristics. Discharges ranging from watery to curd-like can occur. In some cases, it may be entirely thin, clear serous exudate, often containing white flakes.