Penile eczema: Not all genital ulcers are sexually transmitted infections

Abstract

The presence of genital lesions leads some physicians and patients to instinctively think of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). In parallel, the World Health Organization guides the use of syndromic management to provide early diagnosis and immediate treatment in cases of genital lesions with suspected STI. We present two cases of patients with genital lesions for months that were unsuccessfully treated with the STI syndromic approach. Well-conducted histories were fundamental for the discovery of the eczematous etiology of genital ulcers due to the use of topical products indicated by both physicians and patients themselves, and the established therapy led to complete remission of the condition within a few weeks.