Incidence of uncomplicated genital infections in women using oral contraception or an intrauterine device: a prospective study
Article Abstract:
The use of two birth control methods, the intrauterine device (IUD) and the birth control pill, has been associated with an increased chance of infections of the uterus and vagina. Infections of the reproductive organs are known to increase the chances of infertility and ectopic pregnancies, in which the fetus implants outside the uterus. A group of 123 women using an IUD and 108 women taking oral contraceptive pills (OC) were tested for the five most common genital infections: chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomonas, candida (yeast) and bacterial vaginosis (a nonspecific vaginal infection having a combination of grayish-white discharge and clue cells). There were nine new episodes of chlamydia among the women using OC and one IUD user with a newly diagnosed chlamydia infection. The OC users were 8.8 times more likely to develop a chlamydia infection. Over the two-year period, 15 percent of the OC users and two percent of the IUD users developed a chlamydia infection. Half of the group using the IUD had at least one bacterial vaginosis infection, compared with only 20 percent in the OC users. The IUD users were 7.7 times more likely to have a bacterial vaginosis infection. The incidence of these infections increased among women who had had a greater number of sex partners. To curb the number of pelvic infections, it is recommended that women having many sex partners are not good candidates for IUD or OC birth control methods. More studies are needed to determine the impact of contraception on pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) caused by infections. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0148-5717
Year: 1990
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The etiology of genital ulceration in Rwanda
Article Abstract:
There is a high incidence of syphilis among men in Rwanda. Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by a bacterial infection. A hallmark of the disease is the development of a sore or ulcer on the genitals. Although diagnosis is generally confirmed by a specialized blood test, laboratory facilities in the African country are limited and diagnosis is often based on the presence of the ulcer alone. Syphilis is not the only cause of genital ulcers, however. To determine the reliability of this inspection method, the sources of genital ulcers were examined in 110 male and 100 female patients. In men, 21 percent of the ulcers were caused by syphilis; 24 percent were chancroid, caused by another bacteria, hemophilus; 17 percent were caused by genital herpes, a viral infection; 11 percent were caused by lymphogranuloma venereum (chlamydia); and eight percent were mixed infections. The remaining were of unknown causes. In women 40 percent of the ulcers were caused by syphilis, while 20 percent were herpes, 19 percent were lymphogranuloma venereum with ulceration and 12 percent were chancroid. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection was detected in 43 percent of the women and 77 percent of the men. These results represent a minimal estimate of prevalence because many paired samples were lost during shipping. In addition, the silver-impregnation staining method for determining syphilis infections was not a good laboratory method for diagnosis.
Publication Name: Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0148-5717
Year: 1989
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Increasing resistance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in West and Central Africa: consequences on therapy of gonococcal infection
Article Abstract:
Drug-resistant strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae may be on the rise in West and Central Africa. Researchers analyzed 2,288 strains of gonorrhea obtained from three cities in West or Central Africa. The prevalence of penicillin-resistant N. gonorrhoeae (PPNG) rose from 44% to 57% in Kigali, Rwanda. High rates continued in Abidjan, Ivory Coast (73%) and Kinshasa, Zaire (67%). The prevalence of tetracycline-resistant N. gonorrhoeae rose dramatically in all three cities. Gonorrhea strains were treatable with ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin, and spectinomycin.
Publication Name: Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0148-5717
Year: 1997
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