Abstract

Are you handling genital oedema confidently?

Rhian Noble – Jones, Melanie Thomas, Lara Davies, Karen Morgan. BJCN October 2019

Men, women or children can suffer from oedema (swelling) of the genitalia. When differential diagnosis has excluded acute trauma or pathology and swelling remains, the condition may be diagnosed as genital lymphoedema, a chronic condition that increases the relative risk of cellulitis. Diagnosis of genital oedema is often delayed due to problems with patient and health professional behaviour, in terms of embarrassment, lack of confidence or lack of knowledge. Awareness of this condition and knowledge on how to manage it will go a long way in helping both patients and clinicians overcome the challenges of addressing genital oedema. This article describes the authors’ experiences in managing genital oedema. It also briefly discusses a new international project that seeks to identify the knowledge and training that health professionals need to manage this condition more confidently.

Main findings

• This paper discusses the project that will identify the education needs of health professionals when treating lymphoedema.
• Genital swelling can have a profound psychological and physical impact, finding appropriate support can be key.
• There are many causes and relative risk of infection is high. Teaching skin hygiene and surveillance is crucial.
• There are ways to help the patient acknowledge the possible psychological impact /. Embarrassment by suggesting appropriate local support or helplines.
• People with genital lymphoedema should be referred to a lymphoedema practitioner. The self report tool can help with starting the conversation with males who have genital lymphoedema. This can be found at https://www.thebls.com/search?query=genital%20oedema
• There is also information for clinicians and patients at the Lymphoedema Support Network