Itching in the groin: main causes and risk factors

Of course, when the palms of your hands, nose or skin on your head itch, it is very unpleasant, but itching in the groin - given its localization - turns into an even more serious problem. To solve it, you need to know what can cause it.

Causes of itching in the groin area

The upper layer of skin, the epidermis, is a vascular-free stratified squamous epithelium with immunologically active macrophages (Langerhans cells), pigment-producing melanocytes, and nerve receptors.

The epidermis has its own upper layer, the stratum corneum, consisting of tightly adhering nuclear-free keratinocytes. The epithelium is thickest on the palms and soles, and thinnest on the eyelids, in the folds of the limbs, in the axillae, under the abdomen, on the inner surface of the thighs, in the area of the external genitalia and in natural (anatomical) skin folds, in this case, inguinal folds.

This does not directly explain the causes of groin itching, but it does give insight into the decisive role of the skin characteristics of the constantly touching areas of the groin region. For example, the epidermal cells, largely fed by the diffusion of oxygen from the surrounding air, can suffer from oxygen deficiency. Therefore, the constant contact of surfaces in the groin folds - with increased humidity and lack of "ventilation" - usually leads to groin diaper rash. [1] Erythematous diaper rash (skin fold candidiasis or intertriginous dermatitis) is also common with maceration and friction between skin folds in the groin, between the buttocks and on the inner thighs.

But itching after shaving in the groin, as in the case of rubbing the skin with tight underwear - with the appearance of symptoms simple contact dermatitis, [2] is caused by mechanical irritation or damage to the epidermis. Underneath is the basal layer of the epithelium, which includes cells that provide local immunity, in particular mastocytes (mast cells) containing histamine.

Why the skin begins to itch, that is, the mechanism of this reaction, is explained in an extensive article - Pathogenesis of itchy skin.

Risk factors

Commonly recognized risk factors for itching in the groin area include:

• poor hygiene;
• exposure to high temperature and humidity;
• excessive sweating;
• Obesity leading to enlargement of the inguinal skin folds and friction between them;
• Having diabetes or thyroid problems;
• liver disease, particularly hepatitis B;
• certain types of malignant tumors (lymphoma);
• iron deficiency in the body;
• herpesvirus infection;
• Immunodeficiency conditions, primarily caused by gestational immunosuppression, chemotherapy, or HIV.

Itching in the groin area with ectoparasite bites

Itching, minor rashes, excoriation (scratching) and scaling may be associated with bites from ectoparasites: lice - Pediculus humanus corporis or Pthirus pubis, which cause pediculosis, or Sarcoptes scabiei (Sarcoptes scabiei) mite, which develops scabies. [3]

Itchy groin and allergies

The result of the use of any detergents, as well as personal care products, cosmetic or therapeutic creams and ointments, i.e. Skin contact with one or another pruritogenic substance, may result in allergy or allergic contact dermatitis - with reddening of the skin area, papular rashes and itching. [4]

Skin itching in the groin and dermatomycosis

Mycosis of large folds or dermatomycosis (also called ringworm) is ais a consequence of skin lesions caused by ascomycete dermatophyte fungi of the genus Trichophyton (Trichophyton mentogrophytes, Trichophyton rubrum), Epidermophyton (Epidermophyton), Microsporum (Microsporum), and yeast-like fungi Candida albicans (Saccharomycotina). All of them are part of the commensal micro- and mycobiota of human skin - a community of microorganisms associated with body surfaces, but under certain conditions (reduced local and systemic immunity) they become opportunistic microflora and pathogens. [5]

The most commonly identified type of mycosis of this localization - with itching and/or burning sensation - is considered inguinal epidermophytosis, [6] the causative agents of which are recognized as dermatophytes Epidermophyton floccosum. The disease is contagious, manifests itself 5-12 days after infection by the appearance of a red or brown area of irritated epidermis with a clearly visualized ring; rashes can increase, transform into plaques (lamellar and scaly patches with clear boundaries); there is desquamation and cracking of the skin. In most cases, inguinal mycosis spreads to the inner thighs, perineum, perianal and genital areas.

Dermatologists emphasize that with hyperhidrosis, metabolic pathologies and endocrine diseases (diabetes mellitus, thyrotoxicosis), the development of fungal infection occurs with increased activity.

Itchy groin and women's diseases

Often itching in the groin and perineum - due to contact with the skin vaginal discharge - accompanied by female diseases, for example, the ubiquitous thrush (vaginal candidiasis), which occurs when the fungus Candida albicans is activated against the background of dysbacteriosis of the vagina and imbalance of its pH.

In addition, this symptom is often manifested in a number of STDs, that is, respectively sexually transmitted infections: trichomoniasis, chlamydia, gonorrhea, genital herpes [7] and others.

Itching is felt by patients with human papillomavirus (HPV), which provokes genital warts. [8] As noted by clinical statistics, papillomatosis develops mainly after 45-50 years of age, and gynecologists diagnose it in a quarter of a hundred cases. It is obligatory for women to undergo a comprehensive examination, as some types of HPV are oncogenic and can be triggers for the development of cervical cancer.

Nervous groin itching.

Chronic neuropathic itching in the groin area is associated with problems of the nervous system, when the skin is not directly involved in the pathologic process, and its combing does little to relieve itching.

The sensation of itching, initiated by the release of histamine, is transmitted through its unique dedicated pathways from the skin to the brain. But the possibility of neuronal interactions in the transmission of impulses along peripheral nerves to CNS structures or erroneous decoding of other signals that are perceived by the brain as itching cannot be ruled out.

For example, lichen simplex, often called neurodermatitis, unrelated to any known infection, occurs in adult men and women with anxiety and/or obsessive-compulsive disorder. [9] However, the causal relationship of these conditions has not yet been established.

A correlation of the etiology of pruritus with spinal cord lesions, including neurofibroma, peripheral nerve fiber tumors, and cavernous hemangiomas of the spinal cord, has also not been ruled out.

Read also:

• Itching in the groin as a symptom of disease
• Treatment of itchy skin in the groin