STIs: General, Vaginosis, VCC, BV Flashcards
Most common age to get STDs
15-24 year olds = most common age
Number of partners w/ prevalence of STI correlation (3)
- 1 partner = 20.4 prevalence
- 2 partners = 43.1 prevalence
- over or equal to 3 partners = 54.7 prevalence
Health consequences of untreated STIs (4)
- Women’s reproductive health (ex: scarring)
- Scarring leads to adherence and can cause a more difficult time getting pregnant - Untreated Chlamydia (CT) or gonorrhea (GC) may lead to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
- PID can cause infertility - When a women develops and STI, she can pass it on to an infant
- Infant mortality/morbidity:
o Neonatal HIV
o Herpes simplex virus (HSV)
o Congenital syphilis – HIV transmission
Population at greatest risk (3)
- Youth: Nearly 50% of STDs estimated to occur in 15-24 year olds
- Racial/ethnic minorities:
o STDs among highest of all racial/ethnic health disparities
• Highest among African-Americans:
• CT: 5.8 times the rates among whites
• GC: 12.4 times the rate among whites
• PandS: 5.6 times the rates among whites - Men having sex with men; account for 75% of syphillis cases
- high rates of HIV co-infection
Adolescent STIs: Greatest risks (7)
- Progression through a stage that emphasizes sexual risk taking
- Sexual identity formation
- Vulnerable cervix
- Less likely to use condoms
- Less likely to have health insurance
- More concerned about privacy/confidentiality
- Less likely to understand importance of health care screening.
CDC 5 Ps
- Partners
- Practices
- Prevention of pregnancy
- Protection from STDs
- Past history of STDs
Newborn physiology (5)
- Thick white vaginal discharge during the first few weeks of life
- Due to estrogen - As estrogen decreases, mucosa is atrophic until menarche
- Mucous with occasional squamous cells can be seen
- Childhood mucosa is red and dry
- When a 5 year old has discharge and pale mucosa – are they having estrogen secreted? This would not be normal
Physiological Discharge (5)
- An increase in vaginal secretions precede menarche by 6‐12 months
a. Normal pre-menarche - Estrogen dominance tends to produce water and profuse discharge
- Progesterone production induces thicker, mucoid discharge
- Experienced by all pubertal adolescents
a. Physiologic leukorrhea→ vaginal discharge related to going into puberty - Will notice increase in discharge prior to menses
Prepubertal physiologic discharge (2
- Pre-menarchal female at Tanner stage 3‐4
2. Discharge should be clear to white without odor or pruritus.
Pathophysiology of the Adolescent-Adolescents and STI (5)
- Cervix important physical barrier to ascending infection
- Fetal cervix: At the squamous epithelial junction there are columnar cells.
- Adolescent‐‐columnar epithelial cells are on the ectocervix
- C. Trachomatis and gonorrhea adhere to columnar epithelial cells
- Transition cells have even higher affinity for gonococci (gonorrhea)
* Gonorrhea is very problematic
* Symptomatic gonorrhea: purulent green discharge
Protective components for adolescents and STDs
- Secretions of genital tract (which can be disturbed by douching):
- Lysozymes
- Lactoferrin slows down bacterial growth through competition for iron
- Immunoglobulins (IgA): A layer on all mucosal surfaces
- Primary antibody
- Phagocytic cells, PMN and monocytes
- These are not fully developed yet in adolescents
Pathophysiology of the Vagina: Defense mechanisms (6)
- Acid pH 3.8‐4.5
* Also damaged by douching
* Acidic environment doesn’t promote growth of bacterial flora - Thick epithelial cell layer
- Presence of normal bacteria flora including lactobacillus to maintain acid pH
- Mucous secretions from vaginal wall
- Estrogen effect
- Vaginal Discharge
Pathophysiology of the Vagina: Cervical Plug (3)
- May provide an environment where the phagocyte can act
- During the 7 days of menstrual cycle, this plug is absent and therefore PID is more likely to develop if you’ve had sex within 7 days of menses onset
- When mucus plug is absent, PID more likely to develop symptoms
* Occurs within 7 days of onset of menses.
Pathophysiology of the Adolescent – Adolescents and STI: Proinfectious Component (6)
- Retrograde menstrual flow occurs in normal women with patent fallopian tubes
- May provide a good media for bacteria
- Uterine factors facilitate bacterial ascent muscular activity of myometrium
- Coital frequency increases PID rates since myometrial contracts more and sperm may aid transport upward
- If someone has a lot of sex, the act of having sex causes myometrial contractions, and aids the sperm to go upward and therefore causing PID
- Female adolescent is more likely to get STD from male than vice versa
Vagina (5)
- Vaginal discharge is clear to white, odorless, and of high viscosity
- Normal bacterial flora is dominated by lactobacilli, but a variety of other organisms, including some potential pathogens, are also present at lower levels.
a. Ex: candiasis can hang around, but it’s at lower levels in the vagina - Lactobacilli convert glycogen to lactic acid.
- Lactic acid helps to maintain a normal acidic vaginal pH of 3.8 to 4.2.
- Some lactobacilli produce H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide), which kills bacteria and viruses.
Vagina exam (4)
Vaginal discharge should be noted during examination:
i. Color
ii. Viscosity
iii. Adherence to vaginal walls
iv. Presence of an odor
Types of STIs (7)
- Vaginitis
a. Itch and excessive discharge
b. Big overriding umbrella; vaginosis is underneath it - Vaginosis
a. Has an odor associated - Epididymitis
- Cervicitis
a. When the infection is localized to the cervix and has not ascended; when it ascends up into pelvic cavity is when it becomes PID - Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
a. More acute presentation - Genital Warts
- Genital Ulcers
Differential Dx of Vaginal Discharge (5)
- Infection
- Cervicitis
- Vaginitis
a. Ex: Candiasis, Trich, bacterial vaginosis
b. Trichomosis causes frothy discharge*** - Environmental
a. Ex: Tight jeans with polyster underwear - Chemical
a. Ex: Taking a bubble bath