Vulvar ulcer of unknown etiology in a human immunodeficiency virus-infected woman: response to treatment with zidovudine

Article Abstract:

A 34-year-old woman was seen for a painful ulcer on the external region of the vagina, the vulva. The patient's medical history included laser treatment for venereal warts a year earlier and a blood transfusion following an ectopic pregnancy. The patient was separated from her drug-addicted husband, who had since died from ''pneumonia.'' Cultures taken from the ulcerated area were unrevealing. Painful mouth ulcers appeared and disappeared spontaneously. There was no evidence of herpes simplex virus, Haemophilus, syphilis or chancroid. Blood tests for the human immunodeficiency virus antibodies were positive and the woman's CD4 lymphocyte count was below 195 cells per cubic millimeter, an indicator of advanced HIV infection. Treatment with antibiotics and acyclovir, an antiviral agent, failed to reduce the size of the ulcer, which had increased to 1.6 inches (four centimeters). The patient was started on 900 milligrams per day of zidovudine (AZT), an agent used to slow the progression of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Although the cause of the ulcer was not identified, there is reason to believe, based on the fact that antibiotics, cultures and biopsies were unrevealing, that the ulcer was HIV-induced. The drug used to treat HIV disease was able to heal the previously intractable infection. This case study illustrates another unusual presentation of HIV infection and the potential for HIV-associated manifestations. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Health aspects, Case studies, Complications and side effects, HIV infection, HIV infections, Ulcers, Vulva, Zidovudine

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Adverse behavioral and sexual factors in chronic vulvar disease

Article Abstract:

Many women with chronic inflammation of the external genitals engage in behavior that only prolongs their symptoms, according to a study of 530 women. These behaviors include engaging in unlubricated sexual intercourse and douching with antiseptics and other potentially harmful agents.

Sexual behavior, Women, Risk factors, Surveys, Vulvar diseases, Self-care, Health, Self care (Health)

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An update on vulvar cancer

Article Abstract:

The surgical treatment of vulvar cancer is reviewed. Topics include lymphatic mapping, vulvar melanoma, Paget's disease, carcinoma in situ, basal cell carcinoma, and verrucous carcinoma.

Surgery, Vulvar cancer

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