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Noninfectious Penile Lesions
Appearance and clinical presentation guide the diagnosis of noninfectious cutaneous penile lesions. But the tendency for benign lesions to mimic...
2. A 21-year-old man presents with bumps on his penis. He admits to having unprotected sexual intercourse with more than six women in the past year. He is otherwise healthy.
Diagnosis: Genital warts are caused by human papillomavirus infection. The incubation period after exposure ranges from three weeks to eight months. Anogenital warts represent the most common viral sexually transmitted infection in the United States; there are approximately 1 million new cases of genital warts per year. Most infections are transient and clear up within two years, but some infections persist and recur.
The diagnosis is usually clinical; genital warts are typically asymptomatic and present as flesh-colored, exophytic lesions on the genitalia, including the penis, vulva, vagina, scrotum, perineum, and perianal skin. External warts can appear as small bumps, or they may be flat, verrucous, or pedunculated. Treatment options include cryotherapy and prescription imiquimod cream.
For more information on this case, see “Genital bumps.”