GENITAL ULCERS IN FEMALE ADOLESCENTS - DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS

  • Ana Rita Travassos Interna do Internato Complementar de Dermatologia e Venereologia/Resident, Dermatology and Venereology, Serviço de Dermatologia, Hospital de Santa Maria - Centro Hospitalar Lisboa Norte, Portugal
  • Joana Antunes Interna do Internato Complementar de Dermatologia e Venereologia/Resident, Dermatology and Venereology, Serviço de Dermatologia, Hospital de Santa Maria - Centro Hospitalar Lisboa Norte, Portugal
  • David Pacheco Interno do Internato Complementar de Dermatologia e Venereologia/Resident, Dermatology and Venereology, Serviço de Dermatologia, Hospital de Santa Maria - Centro Hospitalar Lisboa Norte, Portugal
  • João Borges da Costa Assistente Hospitalar de Dermatologia/Consultant, Dermatology and Venereology, Serviço de Dermatologia, Hospital de Santa Maria - Centro Hospitalar Lisboa Norte, Portugal - Professor Doutor, Unidade de Microbiologia do Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Lisboa, Portugal
  • Paulo Filipe Professor Doutor de Dermatologia e Venereologia da Clínica Universitária de Dermatologia, Hospital de Santa Maria, Lisboa / Professor of Dermatology and Venereology of Lisbon University, Lisbon, Portugal
  • Manuel Sacramento Marques Chefe de Serviço, Director do Serviço de Dermatologia e Venereologia/ Consultant Chief, Head of Dermatology and Venereology Department, Hospital de Santa Maria - Centro Hospitalar Lisboa Norte, Portugal

Abstract

Introduction: Genital aphtosis is the most frequent cause of non-infectious vulvar ulceration, usually associated to oral aphtosis and it is always an exclusion diagnosis. We present three cases of genital ulcer in female adolescents, observed in our Dermatology clinic.

Case 1: A 17-year-old-girl, with past history of oral aphtosis, was referred to our clinic with a genital ulcer, fever, asthenia and myalgia.

Case 2: A 13-year-old-girl was observed in our emergency unit with a painful genital ulceration and significant edema of the labia minora.

Case 3: A 14-years-old-girl was observed in our clinic with a painful genital ulcer, fever and sore throat, without oral aphthosis.

In all three cases, sexually transmitted infections, a possible drug reaction and ophthalmologic compromise were excluded. The immunological study and pathergy test were both negative. So far, none of the patients met the criteria of Behçet disease and all of them responded to systemic steroid therapy.


Comments: Nonsexually related acute genital ulcers may arise in patients with Crohn or Behçet disease, "reactive non- sexually related acute genital ulcers "- a subset of complex aphtosis, appears to occur in response to an acute illness rather than in a chronic systemic disease. These cases report the challenging differential diagnosis of acute genital ulcers in young patients, without previous sexual life.

KEYWORDS – Adolescent; Genital Diseases, Female; Ulcer.

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Published
2013-01-17
How to Cite
Travassos, A. R., Antunes, J., Pacheco, D., da Costa, J. B., Filipe, P., & Marques, M. S. (2013). GENITAL ULCERS IN FEMALE ADOLESCENTS - DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS. Journal of the Portuguese Society of Dermatology and Venereology, 70(2), 203. https://doi.org/10.29021/spdv.70.2.27
Section
Grupo para o Estudo e Investigação das Doenças Sexualmente Transmissíveis (GEIDS

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