Prevalence of Vaginitis among Women Attending Antenatal Care Centre of Wudil General Hospital, Kano State Nigeria

Abstract

Vaginitis is usually caused by a change in the normal balance of vaginal microbes, an infection, or reduced oestrogen levels after menopause, leading to a variety of infections by bacteria, fungi, and viruses. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of vaginitis and its associated risk factors among women attending the antenatal care center of Wudil General Hospital, Kano, Nigeria. A total of 352 High Vaginal Swab and serum samples were collected from women attending the antenatal care center of Wudil General Hospital. The samples were processed and screened for the presence of Candida albicans, Trichomonas vaginalis, and Treponema pallidum through culture and microscopy and serum venereal disease research laboratory (VDRL) test. The risk factors were assessed using a designed questionnaire and analyzed using Multivariate logistic modeling. The prevalence of C. albicans, T. vaginalis, and Treponema pallidum were found to be 32.38%, 18.46%, and 4.83%, respectively (p ≤ 0.05). The result showed that the risk factors that are significantly associated with the prevalence of vaginitis were active sex, age (26–30 years), educational status, and the number of participants' husbands' wives. The study identifies that C. albicans is the major cause of vaginitis and is insignificantly associated with active sex, age, educational status, and the number of participants' husbands' wives.