Vulvar and perivulvar infection of bacterial pathogenesis

Why are women vulnerable to bacterial infectious disease of the vulvar and perivulvar area? What kind of medical history and physical examination must be performed to arrive at a correct diagnosis? How to make a differential diagnosis between the various vulvar infectious skin diseases? Infectious diseases of the vulvar and perivulvar area have different characteristics and symptoms depending on their nature and etiological triggering factors. Abscesses, pus-containing skin sacs, are caused by bacteria of the Staphylococcus Aureus species. Folliculitis, a type of small skin abscess that affects the hair follicle, is often triggered by improper depilatory practices. Impetigo, a superficial skin infection usually caused by S. Aureus and minus S. Pyogenes, can arise as a complication of pre-existing dermatitis. Hidradenitis, characterized by painful nodules, abscesses, sinus tracts and scars, can occur due to genetic, hormonal, infectious and even immunological factors. Abscesses, folliculitis, impetigo and hidradenitis are all diseases of bacterial origin that can affect subjects at different stages of development, including women of childbearing age, with a peak incidence around the age of 20-30. For this reason and for their tendency to also arise in the vulvar and perivulvar area, they constitute a frontier study subject between dermatology and gynecology, offering significant food for thought on the dermatological skills that the gynecologist will have to acquire for the purposes of treatment. The aim of this work is therefore to offer an overview of these diseases from a purely gynecological point of view, focusing on diagnostic methods, anamnesis and therapeutic perspectives, with the auxiliary purpose of guiding the gynecologist in identifying and removing those predisposing factors that can trigger the chronicity of infectious vulvar diseases.

Keywords: abscess; folliculitis; impetigo; hidradenitis; vulvitis; infection.