Clinical and microbiological features of vulvovaginitis in Mexican girls

Study Objective: To determine the prevalence of vulvovaginitis, predisposing factors, microbial etiology and therapy in patients treated at the Hospital del Nino DIF, Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico. Design. This was an observational and descriptive study from 2006 to 2009. Setting: Hospital del Nino DIF, Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico. Participants. Patients from 0 to 16 years, with vulvovaginitis and/or vaginal discharge were included. Interventions: None. Main Outcome Measures: Demographic data, etiology, clinical features, risk factors and therapy were analyzed. Results: Four hundred twenty seven patients with diagnosis of vulvovaginitis were included. The average prevalence to 4 years in the study period was 0.19%. The age group most affected was schoolchildren (225 cases: 52.69%). The main signs and symptoms presented were leucorrhea (99.3%), vaginal hyperemia (32.6%), vulvar itching (32.1%) and erythema (28.8%). Identified risk factors were poor hygiene (15.7%), urinary tract infection (14.7%), intestinal parasites (5.6%) and obesity or overweight (3.3%). The main microorganisms found in vaginal cultures were enterobacteriaceae (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella and Enterococcus faecalis), Staphylococcus spp, and Gardnerella vaginalis. Several inconsistent were found in the drug prescription of the patients. Conclusion: Vulvovaginitis prevalence in Mexican girls is low and this was caused mainly by opportunist microorganisms. The initial treatment of vulvovaginitis must include hygienic measure and an antimicrobial according to the clinical features and microorganism found.