Cukurova Medical Journal (Mar 2021)
Evaluation of gynecological complaints of women having inflammatory changes in their cervicovaginal smears
Abstract
Purpose: Inflammatory Pap-test is reported commonly, however, there is no consensus on its clinical significance. This study was to investigate the presence of gynecological complaints such as vaginal discharge, pruritus, burning, odor, and pelvic/abdominal pain in women who are having inflammatory changes in their cervicovaginal smears. Materials and Methods: The cervicovaginal smears of 854 women, between the ages of 18 and 76 (38.7 ± 11.18) years, were evaluated. Papanicolaou staining was used for cytological evaluation. For the diagnosis of inflammation, polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMNLs) were counted in at least five visual fields (×100). PMNLs counts “above 40” were recorded as inflammation positive. Results: Inflammation was detected in 115 of the 854 (13.5%) patients; these were considered the study group. Cytological specimens with various types of infections and epithelial cell abnormalities were excluded from the cohort (n = 221, 25.8%). Patients without any infection (n = 518, 60.7%) were accepted as the control group. In the study group, gynecological complaints including vaginal discharge, pruritus, burning, odor, and abdominal pain were found at rates of 56.5%, 6.1%, 3.5%, 4.3%, and 7.8%, respectively. The presence of vaginal discharge was statistically significant in women with inflammation (56.5%) compared to the control group (25.9%). Conclusion: Vaginal discharge is significantly more frequent in women with inflammatory changes in their cervicovaginal smears.
