Significance of allergy in the development of chronic vulvovaginitis

Objective. To study the role of allergy in the development of chronic vulvovaginitis (CVV) in women. Subjects and methods. The retrospective case-control study covered 141 reproductive-aged women, including 69 women diagnosed with CVV and 72 control patients. The laboratory studies encompassed Gram-stained smear microscopy; vaginal pH-metry; determination of eosinophils in blood and vaginal swabs by cytometry and microscopy; and estimation of the levels of total IgE in serum and vaginal swabs by an enzyme immunoassay. The primary endpoint was the odds ratio (OR) of the development of CVV of various etiologies to the presence of allergy. Results. The study group patients more commonly suffered from atopic dermatitis and drug and food allergy and also had a compromised history of allergy (p < 0.05). The laboratory studies revealed vaginal swab eosinophils in 51 (73.9%) of the patients with CVV and in 4 (5.6%) of the controls (p < 0.0001). Serum IgE levels were sig- nificantly higher in the patients with CVV than in the controls (103.5±153.6 and 48.2±68.2 IU/ml, respectively; р = 0.0232). OR d of CVV to the presence of allergy was 23.8 (95% CI, 2.9; 121.3). Conclusion. Allergy may play a signif icant role in the development of chronic inflammation in the lower genital tract, which is associated with a compromised family history and the high prevalence of allergic diseases in this group of female patients.

allergy, chronic vulvovaginitis, recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis, bacterial vaginosis, allergic vulvovaginitis