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Symptoms and signs in single and mixed genital infections
Author(s) -
Mårdh P.A,
Tchoudomirova K,
Elshibly S,
Hellberg D
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1016/s0020-7292(98)00140-4
Subject(s) - medicine , dysuria , bacterial vaginosis , sex organ , leukorrhea , signs and symptoms , abdominal pain , vaginal discharge , population , vaginitis , genital warts , vaginal disease , dermatology , gynecology , vagina , immunology , surgery , pathology , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , syphilis , urinary system , alternative medicine , environmental health , biology , genetics
Objective: To compare symptoms and signs in women with single and mixed genital infections. Methods: The study population comprised 996 apparently healthy women. Gynecological symptoms and signs were looked for and diagnostics for the most prevalent gynecological infections were made. Results: When co‐infections were excluded, chlamydial infections, bacterial vaginosis and cervical human papillomavirus infections were associated with a fishy malodor; for the two former conditions an easily bleeding ectopy was also found. Vaginal candidosis showed characteristic symptoms and signs. Genital warts were associated with dysuria, general and lower abdominal pain. Out of 494 women with a genital infection, 112 (22.7%) had a mixed infection, which in some cases influenced symptoms and signs. Conclusion: Many women who consider themselves gynecologically healthy, may nevertheless harbor one or more infectious agents. The need to exclude multiple infections is obvious. Positive predictive values were for specific symptoms and signs were generally low.