Prevalencia de vaginosis bacteriana, Actinomyces spp., Candida spp. y Trichomonas vaginalis en usuarias del dispositivo intrauterino (DIU), Medellín, Colombia, 2011-2013

The use of intrauterine device increases the risk of genital infections. Objective: To determine the prevalence of bacterial vaginosis, Actinomyces spp., Candida spp., and Trichomonas vaginalis in intrauterine device users. Material and methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in intrauterine device users attended in a screening program for cervical cancer in Medellin, Colombia, between 2011 and 2013. A source of information was secondary, based on the records of the clinical laboratory of cytology. The overall prevalence of the four infections and specific prevalence by age group and residence area was calculated, all with confidence intervals of 95%. To explore associations Pearson chi-square test was used. Results: It was registered 12,541 users of the intrauterine device from 10 districts of Medellin. The users mean age was 34.0±9.8 years; 50% of the central values was between 26 and 41 years. The prevalence of vaginal infections were: bacterial vaginosis 25.6%, Actinomyces spp. 8.9%, Candida spp. 5.1% and Trichomonas vaginalis 1.2%. The prevalence of bacterial vaginosis and Candida spp. was statistically higher in adolescents and youth. The prevalence of the four infections was statistically different according to the residence sector. Conclusion: in intrauterine devices users the major genital infections are bacterial vaginosis and Actinomyces spp. Adolescents and young people are the groups most at risk for bacterial vaginosis and Candida spp. and the occurrence of infections varies between sectors of the city; information that is relevant for planning prevention and care programs.