Prevalence of vulvovaginal candidiasis, bacterial vaginosis and trichomoniasis in pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in the middle belt of Ghana

Abstract

Background Vaginal infections usually caused by Candida sp, organisms responsible for bacterial vaginosis and Trichomonas vaginalis are associated with considerable discomfort and adverse outcomes during pregnancy and child birth. The study determined the prevalence of vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC), bacterial vaginosis (BV) and trichomoniasis (TV) in pregnant women attending antenatal clinic at the Kintampo Municipal Hospital. Methods A study adopted a cross sectional design and recruited 589 pregnant women after seeking their informed consent from September, 2014 to March, 2015. Semi-structured questionnaire were administered to participants and vaginal swabs were collected. The samples were analysed using wet mount method and Gram stain (Nugent criteria) for vaginal infection. Univariate and multivariate analysis were used to investigate association of risk factors to vaginal infections. Results The overall prevalence of at least one vaginal infection was 56.4%. The prevalence of vulvovaginal candidiasis, bacterial vaginosis and trichomoniasis were 36.5, 30.9 and 1.4% respectively. Women with more than four previous pregnancies (OR: 0.27, 95% CI: 0.13–0.58) and those in the third trimester of pregnancy (OR: 0.54, CI: 0.30–0.96) were associated with a lower risk of bacterial vaginosis. Douching and antibiotic use were neither associated with VVC or BV. Conclusion The prevalence of vaginal infections was high among pregnant women in the Kintampo area. There is the need for interventions such as adequate investigations and early treatment of vaginal infections to reduce the disease burden to avoid associated complications.

Prevalence of vulvovaginal candidiasis among pregnant women in the Ho municipality, Ghana: species identification and antifungal susceptibility of Candida isolates

“…The prevalence rates we found are slightly higher than those reported by previous studies [13,16,17,19]. However, our data were more or less consistent with the frequencies reported by previous studies conducted in India (36%), Uganda (45.4%), and in the middle belt of Ghana (36.5%) [15,38,39]. Notably, the highest frequency of VVC in our study was recorded in pregnant women in their third trimester (57.4%).…”

Prevalence and Antifungal Susceptibility Pattern of Candida Isolates from Women with Recurrent Vulvovaginal Candidiasis in Ghana - A Review of Laboratory Reports.

“…Different strains of Candida have been isolated from 21% of women who reported abnormal vaginal discharge at the Gynecological Department of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi, Ghana (Feglo and Narkwa 2012). Similar results were con rmed by Konadu et al (2019), who reported prevalence of 36.5% of VVC among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in the middle belt of Ghana.…”

Emulsion-Based Multicompartment Vaginal Drug Carriers: From Nanoemulsions to Nanoemulgels

“…Furthermore, recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis defined as at least four repeating candida infections per year is an emerging global clinical problem that affects 138 million women every year [ 142 , 143 ]. Among all of the vulvovaginal candidiasis treatment strategies local drug administration has the most advantageous safety and efficiency profile as it reduces the risk of side effects, especially in extreme caution conditions, e.g., pregnancy [ 144 , 145 ].…”