Balanitis

Balanitis is inflammation of the glans penis and may occur both in circumcised and in intact males. It can lead to adhesion of the prepuce to the inflamed glans. It is generally believed to be more frequent in uncircumcised boys, even though a 1997 study by R.S. Van Howe concluded that "circumcised boys are more likely to develop balanitis" [1].

Many studies of balanitis do not examine the subjects' genital washing habits; a 1993 study by Birley et al. did so and found that excessive genital washing with soap may be a strong contributing factor to balanitis. Escala and Rickwood, in a 1989 examination of 100 cases of balanitis, concluded: "[T]he risk in any individual, uncircumcised boy appears to be no greater than 4% ... A policy of routine neonatal circumcision to avoid these preputial complains of childhood would be difficult to justify. We found no evidence that balanitis causes phimosis." [1]