A Rare and Extreme Case of Vulvar Swelling in the Setting of Nephrotic Syndrome in a Prepubertal Girl

Abstract

Background: We present a rare case of severe vulvar edema secondary to steroid-refractory nephrotic syndrome in a prepubertal girl.

Case: The patient is an 8-year-old girl who presented during nephrotic syndrome relapse. She exhibited severe mons pubis and labial edema. She was treated with local symptomatic measures such as sitz baths, barrier ointment, and labial sling, with minimal relief. Improvement ultimately occurred after bilateral nephrectomy.

Summary and conclusion: Vulvar edema is rare in prepubertal girls. In this case, the edema was secondary to steroid-refractory nephrotic syndrome and was not responsive to local treatment measures. There is a paucity of data on effective treatment of vulvar edema in young girls. Our goal is to raise awareness of such pathology, which might lead to development of uniform guidelines for treatment of this condition.

Keywords: Labial edema; Labial swelling; Nephrotic syndrome; Vulvar edema; Vulvar swelling.