Patient's question:
I have many small red spots on my glans, and it has been more than 7 months now. It doesn't hurt or itch, but sometimes the skin on my glans may have folds, and it feels a bit rough when touched. Is this balanitis? How should it be treated?Doctor's answer:
Your condition is balanitis, and balanoposthitis is a common disease. Infectious cases are often caused by unprotected sex, infection with Candida albicans, Trichomonas vaginalis, Chlamydia, Mycoplasma, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, or other bacteria. Non-infectious factors are usually due to excessive foreskin, poor hygiene, or the accumulation of unclean substances between the foreskin and glans, known as smegma, which can irritate the foreskin and mucosa, leading to inflammation. The basic principle of Western medicine treatment is anti-inflammatory and antibacterial. It is generally a combination of topical and oral treatments. For acute superficial balanitis and annular erosive balanitis, erythromycin and tetracycline are the first-line treatments, typically taken at 0.5g per dose, four times daily. For trichomoniasis balanitis, metronidazole is the first-line treatment, taken at 0.2g per dose, three times daily, for a total of 10 days. For Candida-induced balanitis, itraconazole or griseofulvin is commonly used. Griseofulvin at 100,000–200,000 units per dose, twice daily, or itraconazole at 100mg per dose, twice daily, for a total of 7 days.