Female genital tuberculosis in gynecological specimens examined at the Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia

Abstract

Abstract: A retrospective analysis of 16080 gynecological specimens examined at the Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Addis Ababa University (AAU), from January 1977 to December 1996, showed that female genital tuberculosis occurred in 222(1.38%) of them. The highest occurrence was during 1992-1996 (34.3%) and the lowest was in 1982-1986 (18%). The majority of cases (83.18%) were first diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40 years. The most common symptoms were abnormal vaginal bleedings (45.5%) and infertility (36%). The genital organs most frequently involved were the endometrium (56.3%), fallopian tube (27%), cervix (11.3%), and ovaries (4.5%). The least affected organ was the vulva/vagina (0.9%). From this review it was evident that female genital tuberculosis is one of the causes of abnormal vaginal bleeding and infertility among female patients of the child-bearing age. Therefore, further prospective clinicopathological study is recommended to entertain the possibility of genital tuberculosis among women who complain either of infertility or of menstrual irregularity. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 1999;13(1):63-67]