Characteristics of Vulvo-Vaginal Infections in 9- to 13-Year-Old Girls Undergoing Rapid Puberty.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to investigate the characteristics of vulvo-vaginal infections in 9- to 13-year-old girls undergoing rapid puberty. METHODS: Three hundred ninety girls aged 9 - 13 years who experienced vulvo-vaginal infections while undergoing rapid puberty and were treated at West China Second University Hospital from July 2017 to June 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. The incidences of bacterial vaginosis (BV), intermediate BV, and vulvo-vaginal candidiasis (VVC) and the differences in these incidences for patients of different ages were analyzed. RESULTS: The incidences of BV, intermediate BV, VVC, and unknown pathogenic vaginitis were 35.38%, 35.13%, 19.23%, and 10.26%, respectively. The incidence of BV was significantly higher than that of VVC. The positive rates of Candida albicans (C. albicans) and non-albicans Candida infections differed significantly at 80.00% and 20.00%, respectively. The BV and intermediate BV incidences did not significantly differ by age. The VVC incidence was significantly lower for 9-year-old girls than for girls of other ages. CONCLUSIONS: Girls undergoing rapid puberty are more susceptible to BV and intermediate BV infections than to VVC infections. The VVC incidence was lowest in 9-year-old girls. More attention should be paid to the effects of female estrogen levels, the vaginal microecosystem, and menstrual hygiene on vulvo-vaginal infections in girls undergoing rapid puberty.