The incidence of phimosis in boys

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Abstract
Objective: To establish the incidence of pathological phimosis in boys.Patients and methods: A 2‐year review of circumcisions was performed for phimosis among a known population of boys, with the histological findings of the circumcision specimens assessed.Results: Sixty‐two boys (all but one aged 5–14 years) had typical pathological (cicatrizing) phimosis and among the 51 circumcision specimens examined histologically, 43 (84%) showed appearances of balanitis xerotica obliterans. During the same period, 30 boys were circumcised for developmental unretractability of the foreskin (‘physiological phimosis’).Conclusions: The incidence of pathological phimosis in boys was 0.4 cases/1000 boys per year, or 0.6% of boys affected by their 15th birthday, a value lower than previous estimates and exceeded more than eight‐fold by the proportion of English boys currently circumcised for ‘phimosis’.

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