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The dynamic changes of vaginal microecosystem in patients with recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis: a retrospective study of 800 patients

  • General Gynecology
  • Published:
Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Vaginal microecological environment is an important factor of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (RVVC). This study was undertaken to investigate dynamic changes of vaginal microecosystem in patients with RVVC.

Methods

Four hundred patients with VVC and 400 healthy women of reproductive age who admitted to the hospital from January 2012 to December 2013 were evaluated retrospectively. Vaginal microecological factors were evaluated before and after treatment until no recurrence, including vaginal cleanliness, white blood cells, Lactobacillus, Lactobacillus classification, bacteria density, flora diversity, Nugent scores, etc. The grouping was done according to the recurrence of the disease. Every time after treatment, the relapsing patients were defined as case group and the cured patients without recurrence were defined as control group. The differences in the results between the case and the control groups were analyzed by t test.

Results

With the development of RVVC, the ages of all case groups were lower than the corresponding control groups. In different stages of the disease, the bacteria density of the case groups and their corresponding control groups had no significant difference (P > 0.05). Most of the microecological indicators of the first occurring group were significantly different (P < 0.05) from that of the control group. In the recurrence groups, only a few indicators were significantly different from the control groups. The values of all vaginal microecological indicators (except Lactobacillus) of all case groups were higher than that of the control groups. The values of Lactobacillus of all RVVC case groups were lower than that of the RVVC control groups.

Conclusions

There were vaginal microecological imbalances in all developing stages of RVVC. As for vaginal flora, diverse sorts changed to normal Lactobacillus dominantly with the development of RVVC. In the first occurrence of RVVC, after antifungal treatment, Lactobacillus is suggested to be timely supplemented to restore vaginal microecological balance.

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Abbreviations

BV:

Bacterial vaginosis

RVVC:

Recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis

VVC:

Vulvovaginal candidiasis

OML:

Oil immersion lens

HPL:

High-power lens

H2O2 :

Hydrogen peroxide

WBC:

White blood cells

WCSUH:

West China Second University Hospital

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the staffs of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and the doctors of the outpatient department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, China. This work was funded by the Support Program of Science and Technology Department of Sichuan Province, China (2013SZ0037).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Department of Laboratory Medicine, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 20, Section 3, Renmin Nanlu, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China

      Xin-ai Yue, Ping Chen, Yuanting Tang, Xiuli Wu & Zhengqiang Hu

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    1. Xin-ai Yue
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    2. Ping Chen
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    3. Yuanting Tang
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    Correspondence to Zhengqiang Hu.

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    X. Yue and P. Chen contributed equally to this work.

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    Yue, Xa., Chen, P., Tang, Y. et al. The dynamic changes of vaginal microecosystem in patients with recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis: a retrospective study of 800 patients. Arch Gynecol Obstet 292, 1285–1294 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-015-3774-2

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    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-015-3774-2

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