The symptoms of hyperplastic and atrophic vulvar leukoplakia are very different

Different types of vulvar leukoplakia have different symptoms for patients, and the symptoms are also different at different stages of each type.

1. Hyperplastic type

Stage I: The main symptom of the patient is vulvar itching, which is aggravated at night. Some patients have severe and unbearable itching, and the local area often becomes red, swollen or ulcerated due to scratching, accompanied by local burning and other discomfort.

Stage II: In addition to vulvar itching, the skin in the affected area will also show keratinization and hyperplasia, and the local color of the vulva will show mild hypopigmentation, especially on the inner side of the labia majora and minora, appearing as small white papules.

Stage III: The patient's local skin keratinization is severe and the keratin layer will fall off repeatedly. In severe cases, scratching may cause redness, swelling, chapped skin, and ulceration. Generally, vulvar itching is accompanied by obvious pain symptoms.

2. Atrophic type

Stage I: The patient's symptoms are not obvious. Some may have mild vulvar itching and slight atrophy of the vulva, but it is generally not easy to be seen by the naked eye.

Stage II: The typical symptoms of patients are mild atrophy of the vulva, which is visible to the naked eye, usually starting from the labia majora, labia minora and clitoris, and multiple spots or patches of hypopigmentation will appear on the local skin of the vulva. Because atrophy can cause local dryness, most patients will feel uncomfortable during sexual intercourse.

Stage III: Symptoms are more severe in this stage, with 50% of patients experiencing large areas of hypopigmentation on the vulvar skin. Atrophy can lead to flattening of the labia majora, disappearance of the labia minora, and shrinkage or adhesion of the clitoris. Some patients may also experience urinary incontinence and difficulty in sexual life. In severe cases, leukoplakia and atrophy of the anus may cause a decrease in the elasticity of the skin around the anus, resulting in the adverse consequence of anal fissures during defecation.