Non-sexually transmitted genital diseases in males an epidemiological study in a study center (1990–2005)

Many skin diseases manifest in the genital region. Diseases of the male genitalia are quite frequent and range from infections to inflammatory and neoplastic conditions specific for this area or associated with systemic skin diseases. Not all inflammatory diseases are caused by sexually transmitted (ST) infection and clinicians working in STD units often examine alarmed patients, convinced that their skin lesions are sexually transmitted. We conducted a retrospective study to assess the spectrum and possible changes in epidemiological trends of non-ST conditions of the male genitalia in outpatients referred to our STD Unit in the period 1990–2004. Our results suggest that we can expect an increasing number of patients with non-sexually transmitted genital conditions in STD units.