Abstract
To evaluate the risk of vulvar vestibulitis syndrome (VVS) associated with genital infections in a case-control study. Diagnosed cases with VVS (n = 69) and age-frequency-matched healthy controls (n = 65) were enrolled from gynecology clinics in a university medical hospital during 1999. They were compared for potential risk factors and symptoms of disease. VVS cases had a significantly higher risk of physician-reported bacterial vaginosis (BV) (odds ratio, OR = 9.4), Candida albicans (OR = 5.7), pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) (OR = 11.2), trichomoniasis (OR = 20.6), and vulvar dysplasia (OR = l5.7) but no risk associated with human papillomavirus (HPV), ASCUS, cervical dysplasia, genital warts, chlamydia, genital herpes or gonorrhea. Genital symptoms reported significantly more often with VVS included vulvar burning (91 vs. 12%), dyspareunia (81 vs. 15%), vulvar itching (68 vs. 23%) and dysuria (54 vs. 19%) (p < 0.0001). A history of genital infections is associated with an increased risk of VVS. Long-term follow-up case-control studies are needed to elucidate etiologic mechanisms, methods for prevention and effective treatment.
Highlights
The findings suggest that most of these were found more often in vulvar vestibulitis syndrome (VVS) cases than in controls: upper respiratory infections (URIs), muscle aches not related to some other specific medical condition, immunodeficiency diseases, increased tiredness and poor wound healing (Table 3)
There was no difference in reporting dyspareunia (85 vs. 83%) or dysuria (50 vs. 56%). This investigation found that VVS patients had a history of genital infections and diseases significantly more often than a group of healthy women
Because lab results were not available for every event, it would be important to clarify whether these infections occurred at a different frequency in newly diagnosed cases, whether infection rates were higher in VVS because most were prevalent cases reporting rates based on both initial infections as well as subsequent events, and whether the frequency of infections was truly higher than reported by asymptomatic controls
Summary
To evaluate the risk of vulvar vestibulitis syndrome (VVS) associated with genital infections in a case–control study. Several studies have suggested that there is a hormonal component that increases the risk of developing the syndrome possibly by altering the quality or quantity of mucus secretions in the vestibular glands, reducing the protective effect of the vestibule[10]. The purpose of this epidemiologic study was to evaluate the role of pathologic vaginal microbial and viral agents as risk factors for VVS among women diagnosed in a vulvar disease clinic and a group of healthy women without this diagnosis at a university hospital tertiary care center
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