Vulvitis: Classification

The following forms of vulvitis are distinguished according to their clinic and etiology (causes):

Clinic

• Acute vulvitis with acute, pronounced symptoms and a laboratory diagnosis.
• Subacute vulvitis (clinically less severe symptoms than acute) with minor or absent symptoms but with a laboratory diagnosis
• Chronic vulvitis with often absent or chronic recurrent symptoms and a laboratory diagnosis.
• Infectious vulvitis
• Non-infectious vulvitis

Etiology

Exogenous causes

• Epithelial damage due to:
  • Chemical exposure e.g. deodorants, disinfectant solutions, intimate sprays, vaginal douches, ablutions.
  • Maceration (softening of the tissue) of the skin e.g. fluorine (discharge), fistulas, menstrual blood, sweat, secretion (urinary, fecal incontinence (inability to hold urine or stool), carcinoma secretion).
• Organisms
  • Bacteria – e.g. chlamydia, gonococci, coli, staphylococci, streptococci.
  • Parasites – e.g.
    • Endoparasites: Oxyurans (pinworms), trichomonads.
    • Ectoparasites: Crabs (Pediculi pubis), scabies (scabies).
  • Fungi – e.g. Candida albicans
  • Viruses – e.g. AIDS virus, human papillomaviruses (HPV), herpes viruses.
• Trauma: epithelial defects e.g. defloration (deflowering), cohabitation (coitus), masturbation, pruritus consequences/consequences of itching (cats, rubbing, chafing), injuries (fall, impact, instruments and others).

Endogenous causes

• General diseases:
  • Blood diseases (leukemia, lymphogranulomatosis, pernicious anemia).
  • Diabetes mellitus
  • Kidney disease
  • Liver diseases,
• Hormonal disorders (estrogen deficiency (prepubertal and post-menopausal), senile atrophic vulvitis).

Dermatological diseases eg.

• Allergies
• Drug exanthema
• Eczema
• Erythrasma (superficial bacterial infection of the skin).
• Lichen ruber planus (nodular lichen)
• Lichen sclerosus – chronic disease of the connective tissue, which is probably one of the autoimmune diseases.
• Behçet’s disease (synonym: Adamantiades-Behçet’s disease; Behçet’s disease; Behçet’s aphthae) – multisystem disease from the rheumatic form circle, which is associated with a recurrent, chronic vasculitis (vascular inflammation) of the small and large arteries and mucosal inflammation; The triad (the occurrence of three symptoms) of aphthae (painful, erosive mucosal lesions) in the mouth and aphthous genital ulcers (ulcers in the genital region), as well as uveitis (inflammation of the middle eye skin, which consists of the choroid (choroid), the ray body (corpus ciliare) and the iris) is stated as typical for the disease; a defect in cellular immunity is suspected
• Paget’s disease of the vulva
• Psoriasis (psoriasis)

Special forms e.g.

• STDs
• Vulvar Vestibulitis Syndrome (VVS) (Synonyms: Burning Vulva, Painful Vulva, Vestibulodynia, Vestibulitis, Vulvodynia, Vestibulitis Syndrome, Vestibulitis Vulvae Syndrome).
• Vulvitis plasmacellularis (infectious disease without known pathogen).