What is Vulvitis?
This is the inflammation of the actual genital organs, in which the pathological focus is located on the mucous membrane of the vagina.
Pathogenesis during vulvitis
By origin, it is customary to distinguish between primary and secondary types of the disease.
Primary vulvitis occurs at the site of a mechanical injury to the vagina, as the injured areas of the mucous membrane later become infected much more easily healthy. Injury can occur with severe itching in the genital area when combing. It can be observed during diabetes, with helminthic diseases, skin pathology and other pathologies. For the second time, the disease develops with an already existing infection of the genital organs, which develops in the upper sections of the vagina, the uterus and its tubes (colpitis, cervicitis, endometritis).
There is also a factor predisposing to the development of the disease – impaired functioning of the female gonads – the ovaries. Therefore, in identifying inflammatory processes of the vagina, it is always necessary to investigate their function.
Symptoms of Vulvita
Doctors recognize the existence of two types of vulvitis: acute and chronic.
In the acute form of the disease, all its symptoms develop in a very short time. Redness and swelling of all external genital organs appear, there are a lot of purulent masses on the surface of the skin and mucous membranes, and there are also spots of redness in the groin. In some cases, when palpating the subcutaneous lymph nodes of the inguinal areas, they are greatly enlarged. It is in these nodes that lymphatic fluid is mainly collected from the lymphatic vessels of the region of the external genital organs of a woman. When visiting a doctor, such a patient may complain about the sensation of itching, burning. Very often, there are also complaints of a violation of general well-being, weakness, and rapid fatigue. A special clinical picture develops in cases where the pathological process is caused by E. coli. At the same time vaginal discharge have an unpleasant smell, yellowish-green color. With staphylococcal disease, the discharge is very thick, viscous, yellowish-white in color.
The chronic course of the disease is practically no different from acute, only in that the symptoms in this case are more blurred, they are much less pronounced.
The most persistent manifestations in this stage remain the feeling of itching, burning, redness of the skin and mucous membrane in the region of the external genital organs of the woman.
Diagnosis of Vulvita
Diagnosis in the clinic is possible only after a detailed questioning of the patient, her thorough examination, a full gynecological examination. A very valuable method of research, widely used at present, is the collection of a patient’s discharge from the vagina with its subsequent examination under a microscope and seeding on special nutrient media for the growth of microorganisms. This allows you to accurately determine the nature of the causative agent. Colposcopy is also performed – the study of the upper vaginal sections using endoscopic instruments.
Vulvitis Treatment
First of all, it should have as its goal the elimination of comorbidities, which at one time contributed to the development of the inflammatory process in the vagina. In case of acute course of vulvitis, a necessary condition for a speedy recovery is the careful observance of certain conditions. The patient is prescribed bed rest for the entire acute period, sexual contact should be completely excluded, the toilet of the external genital organs should be held at least 2-4 times a day. It is produced using potassium permanganate solutions, boric acid, chamomile infusion. When the disease is bacterial, parasitic or fungal nature, special vaginal tablets containing antibacterial drugs are prescribed, for a course of 10 days, if necessary, more. Specific therapy is carried out with lesions of the mucous membrane of the vagina with Candida fungi, and specific antifungal agents are prescribed. The form of their release is in candles.
Various creams are also prescribed for application to the external genital area. All these procedures are performed mainly at night, their course is also from 10 days or more. With the development of intolerable itching, it can be eliminated by applying anesthetic solutions to the region of the external genital organs.
Forecast
Always favorable with proper timely treatment. In the absence of therapy, the process can turn into an intractable, chronic form; various complications and secondary diseases can develop.