BACKGROUNDCandidal balanoposthitis is a known clinical marker and most of the time it may be the presenting feature of diabetes mellitus. It is the most common condition in uncircumcised male patients attending the sexually transmitted infections (STI) clinic in recent times as there is a decline in the tropical sexually transmitted infections.The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of candidal balanoposthitis in patients attending the STI clinic of a tertiary care centre.
MATERIALS AND METHODSA retrospective chart review of the data collected from the clinical records of all patients with candidal balanoposthitis who had attended the STI clinic of Chengalpattu Medical College Hospital, Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, during the one year period from January 2015 to December 2015 was carried out. Demographic and clinical data were analysed.
RESULTSThe total number of patients with candidal balanoposthitis were 108 (16.39%) among the total 659 male patients who attended the STI clinic during the study period. Among those, newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus were 47 (43.52%) and known diabetes mellitus were 51 (47.22%) patients. The common age group was 31 to 40 years (44.44%). It commonly presents as preputial fissuring in young sexually active patients and glazed erythema with subpreputial discharge in sexually inactive older patients.
CONCLUSIONCandidal balanoposthitis is the most common condition in male patients attending the STI clinic. As it serves as a dependable cutaneous marker of diabetes mellitus, screening for diabetes should be done in all patients with balanoposthitis as it would help in the early diagnosis and management thereby decreasing the morbidity and improve the quality of life in them.