Bacterial vaginosis in women of low socioeconomic status living in slum areas in Chennai, India

Abstract

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a common cause of vaginitis among women of childbearing age. This study was performed to investigate the prevalence of BV and its association with sexually transmitted infections among 487 women of low socioeconomic status. Blood, vaginal and endocervical swabs were tested for HIV, herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2), Treponema pallidum, BV, Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoea and Trichomonas vaginalis. Of the women screened for BV, 120 (25, 95% CI 20.8–28.4) were positive and 40 (8.2, 95% CI 5.8–10.6) were intermediate. Bacterial vaginosis was significantly associated with age >25 (P = 0.014) and sexual experience (P = 0.085). Bacterial vaginosis was also related to concurrent infections with T. vaginalis (relative risk (RR) = 6.6, 95% CI 2.8–15.5, P = 0.000) and HSV-2 (RR = 2, 95% CI 1.3–2.9; P = 0.0031). The role of other possible risk factors needs to be explored.