What should I do if my penis is inflamed?

In daily life, men often refer to their penis as "little brother", which shows how much men value it. Because they usually neglect to take care of their little brother, many men's little brother becomes inflamed, which is medically known as balanitis. So, when facing such a symptom, what should men who are usually careless in daily life do?

The causes of balanitis are infection and non-infection. Unhygienic sexual intercourse, infection with Candida albicans, Trichomonas, Chlamydia, Mycoplasma and Gonorrhea can all cause balanitis. Non-infectious factors are mostly due to excessive foreskin and insufficient cleaning. The dirt between the foreskin and the glans, namely smegma, will accumulate and irritate the local foreskin and mucous membrane to cause inflammation.

What are the causes of balanitis? Andrologists say that balanitis can be roughly divided into four categories: traumatic, contact, drug-induced and infectious. As for traumatic, it is mostly caused by being hit, being pinched by a zipper, or being injured during sexual intercourse. At this time, the foreskin may be very red, swollen and painful. If it is scratched due to parasitic infection of the penis, it will be accompanied by an itchy feeling. Contact balanitis is mainly caused by the use of local disinfectants or ointments.

Balanitis caused by drugs often causes itching and burning sensations, and the site of infection is not as large as infectious balanitis, but is a single or small, superficial abrasion-like wound with clear boundaries. The most important thing is that a certain drug has been taken before, and the most common cause of this inflammation is tetracycline.

Infectious balanitis is the most common type of balanitis. The pathogens that cause this type of infection include bacteria, fungi or parasites. The most common fungus is Candida albicans. In addition to redness and swelling of the foreskin or glans, sometimes small, irregular, erosive white spots can be seen covering the surface of the glans. Balanitis caused by Trichomonas vaginalis (parasite) is usually ulcerated. There is also an erosive type of balanitis due to bacterial infection, which is common in patients with foreskin. There is usually a foul-smelling secretion, and the surface of the glans will show many small, round and superficial erosions.

Syphilis can also cause glansitis, but usually after the formation of the chancre, a white fused surface will appear on the glans and the glans will become edematous. It is different from general infectious glansitis, in which the entire glans becomes red and swollen, has a foul odor and discharges. If it is suspected to be caused by Treponema pallidum, a blood test can be done to check the syphilis serum reaction and agglutination test to distinguish between syphilis and general bacterial or other infectious glansitis.