Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Oct 1;25(4):312-317.
doi: 10.1097/LGT.0000000000000617.

Plasma Cell Vulvitis: A Systematic Review

Jill M Krapf, Kathryn Cavallo  1 , Monica Saleeb  1 , Andrew T Goldstein
Affiliations

Plasma Cell Vulvitis: A Systematic Review

Jill M Krapf et al. J Low Genit Tract Dis. .

Abstract

Objective: This systematic review aimed to present the available literature on plasma cell vulvitis (PCV), a relatively uncommon form of inflammatory vulvovaginal dermatitis.

Materials and methods: A literature search was performed in PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar using the following key words: "plasma cell vulvitis," "Zoon vulvitis," and "vulvitis circumscripta plasmacellularis." Specific variables were assessed in each article, including patient age, menopausal status, comorbidities, presenting symptoms, symptom duration, histological description, treatment, and treatment response.

Results: Thirty-nine articles met inclusion criteria, including 38 case reports and 1 observational study, with a total of 96 cases of PCV reported. The mean age of diagnosis was 52.9 years, with an age range of 8-76 years. Most common presenting symptoms included pruritis and vaginal discomfort, with average duration of symptoms 28.2 months (range = 2 months to 10 years). All reports demonstrated subepithelial plasma cell infiltrate on histology. Five percent of PCV cases reported concomitant autoimmune conditions and 6% sexually transmitted infections. Most common treatment modalities included topical corticosteroids (n = 41), tacrolimus (n = 6), and imiquimod (n = 6). In 53 reported outcomes, 88.7% of patients had resolution of symptoms with treatment.

Conclusions: Clinical research is needed to better determine the diagnostic criteria and to assess the efficacy of treatment options for PCV.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

A.T.G. reports grants from Elen, Cellular Medicine Association, and Gynecologic Cancers Research Foundation, during the conduct of the study, personal fees from Amag, grants and personal fees from Ipsen, grants from Endoceutics, and grants and personal fees from SST, outside the submitted work, and is the founder and president of the Gynecologic Cancers Research Foundation, a 501c3. The other authors have declared they have no conflicts of interest.

References

    1. Hindle E, Yell J, Andrew S, et al. Plasma cell vulvovaginitis—a further case. J Obstet Gynaecol 2006;26:382–3.
    1. Baba Y, Umegaki-Arao N, Kimura Y. Successful treatment of intractable vulvitis circumscripta plasmacellularis via combination therapy with topical tacrolimus and tetracycline. J Dermatol 2017;44:1183–5.
    1. Moher D, Liberati A, Tetzlaff J, et al; PRISMA Group. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: the PRISMA statement. PLoS Med 2009;6:e1000097.
    1. Murad MH, Sultan S, Haffar S, et al. Methodological quality and synthesis of case series and case reports. BMJ Evid Based Med 2018;23:60–3.
    1. Virgili A, Corazza M, Minghetti S, et al. Symptoms in plasma cell vulvitis: first observational cohort study on type, frequency and severity. Dermatology 2015;230:113–8.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources