Publication:

Clinical presentation, diagnosis and management of bacterial vaginosis: a hospital based cross-sectional study

Background Bacterial vaginosis is most common cause of vaginal discharge. Clinical presentation varies from person to person. The management of bacterial vaginosis is largely syndromic and empirical, it is usually based on naked eye examination of vaginal discharge and that is unsatisfactory because the diagnostic accuracy is lost without microscopic examination. The modern management of bacterial vaginosis demands a specific diagnosis which is a combination of naked eye examination plus laboratory workup.

Methods The study was carried out on 183 females with complaint of vaginal discharge in the outpatient department of obstetrics and gynecology. Specimens were collected in outpatient department of Jhalawar Medical College in associated Zanana Hospital. The laboratory work was conducted in the department of microbiology in Jhalawar Medical College, Jhalawar, Rajasthan, India.

Results The prevalence of microbial positivity in our study was 79.9%. Bacterial vaginosis was the most common diagnosis seen in 86 (47.0%) cases. Maximum patients presented with complaint of copious amount of foul-smelling yellow discharge.

Conclusions The study concludes that it is important to know the various presentations, confirm the diagnosis by proper microbiological tests, and provide appropriate treatment to patients to prevent resistance and recurrence of bacterial vaginosis.