Vulvar diseases and vulvodynia

Vulvar pain, itching and burning are common complaints – and often misunderstood. An estimated 10 to 28 percent of all women suffer from vulvodynia in the course of their lives; lichen sclerosus affects around 1.7 percent of the population and is up to 15 times more common than previously diagnosed. Nevertheless, it takes an average of four to seven years for a correct diagnosis to be made. The reason: the overlap between inflammatory dermatoses, functional pain syndromes and oncological precursors requires a systematic clinical assessment, which is often lacking in routine care. The new S3 guideline on lichen sclerosus and a growing body of evidence on the multimodal treatment of vulvodynia offer reliable guidance for the first time.