Six types of diseases that are easily confused with sexually transmitted diseases

Because some doctors only pay attention to the skin lesions in the genital area caused by STDs, and ignore the fact that other diseases can also cause the same symptoms, they blindly and rashly misdiagnose diseases as STDs, causing unnecessary pain and mental stress to patients. In fact, a large part of the skin lesions that occur in the genital area are not sexually transmitted diseases, and the two must not be confused. These diseases that are easily confused with sexually transmitted diseases are introduced below in the hope of attracting your attention.

1. Allergic diseases:

Allergic reactions after taking medicines can cause fixed drug eruptions on the glans foreskin; drug or food allergies can also cause severe edema of the foreskin; contact dermatitis caused by contact with external medications, contraceptive tools or diapers, such as local occurrence of erythema, papules, blisters, erosions or ulcers; some women are allergic to semen and may experience severe vaginal itching or vulvar urticaria.

2. Traumatic diseases:

Abrasions and hematomas occur during sexual intercourse; after sexual intercourse, temporary obstruction of lymphatic vessels may cause cartilaginous hard cords to appear on the back of the penis or the coronal sulcus, which may disappear on their own within a few weeks. This disease is called penile sclerosing lymphangitis; prolonged sexual intercourse can cause genital edema; if the foreskin cannot be restored after being turned back, it can cause severe edema of the foreskin and the end of the penis, which is called incarcerated phimosis; insect bites can also cause redness, swelling and blisters in the genital area.

3. Non-sexually transmitted infections:

When the putrid matter in the lower part of the genitals is parasitic with large rods, it can cause acute vulvar ulcers; 2-3 days after sexual intercourse, erosive balanitis can also be caused by infection with Borrelia smegma, Borrelia burgdorferi, or Fusobacterium.

4. Precancerous diseases and malignant tumors:

White patches and hypertrophic erythema in the genital area, especially those with rough keratinization, desquamation, wart-like proliferation and stubborn ulcers, may be precancerous diseases or malignant tumors.

5. Benign tumors or growths:

Slow-growing, persistent rashes or nodules that are black, yellow, red, or skin-colored are also common in the genital area. The lesions may be pearly penile papules, milia, melanocytic nevus, epidermal nevus, superficial lipomatous nevus, cutaneous endometriosis, Bartholin's gland cyst, sebaceous cyst, multiple cysts, lipoma, papillary hidradenoma, hemangioma, leiomyoma, fibroma, or cutaneous lymphocytoma.

6. Other diseases:

There are also some diseases with complex or still unknown causes, which can also cause genital or systemic lesions, such as corpus cavernosum disease, plasma cell balanitis, occlusive balanitis sicca, micaceous and keratotic pseudoepitheliomatous balanitis, vulvar atrophy, penile dryness, sclerosing atrophic lichen, lichen planus, eczema, seborrheic dermatitis, neurodermatitis, psoriasis, pemphigus, etc. In addition, sexually transmitted diseases can be easily confused with general skin diseases, so care should be taken to distinguish them.