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Balanitis - Management
When should I refer an adult with balanitis?
- If penile cancer is suspected, refer urgently to dermatology or urology. See the section on Penile cancer in the CKS topic on Urological cancer - suspected.
- If ulceration, urethritis, or inguinal lymphadenopathy are present — refer to genitourinary medicine (GUM).
- If balanitis is recurrent and associated with inability to retract the foreskin (phimosis) — refer to urology.
- If balanitis is recurrent and no underlying cause can be identified, or balanitis persists despite treatment — refer to dermatology, urology, or GUM depending on the most likely underlying cause.
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