Vulvovaginite em mulheres atendidas em serviço de Atenção Primária à Saúde da Família: ocorrência e hábitos de higiene

Abstract

Vulvovaginitis, an inflammatory or infectious condition that affects the vulva and vaginal mucosa, accounts for about 70% of complaints in gynecological consultations. There are several factors, intrinsic or extrinsic, that can influence the female genital ecosystem, and the intimate hygiene associated with the occurrence of vulvovaginitis, as well as understanding its causes, enables actions to intervene and improve the quality of life of these women. The objectives of this study were to investigate the occurrence of vulvovaginitis and to describe the genital hygiene habits and genitalia care of women who were treated at two Units of Primary Attention to Family Health in the city of Uberlândia, Minas Gerais. The population sample consisted of 100 women who underwent gynecological consultations in two Units of Primary Health Care of the Family of Uberlândia, between July 2017 and June 2018. After agreeing to participate in the study, the volunteers signed the free and informed consent. Data collection took place in three stages: individual interviews with the study participants, which included completing a file with descriptive data, epidemiological investigations, and medical records analysis. This study was carried out after the approval by the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Uberlândia under number 2.173.985/2017. The results obtained were as follows: 30% of the women interviewed presented alterations in the vaginal microbiota, with Gardnerella vaginallisbeing the most prevalent microorganism in the results of the Papanicolaou test (83.3%), followed by Candida spp. (10.0%). Regarding intimate practices, all the participants reported practicing genital depilation, where the razor blade was the most commonly used method (68.0%). More than half of the participants (83.3%) reported wearing tight jeans frequently. The habit of cleaning the genitalia with toilet paper in a posteroanterior motion, wearing tight jeans, altered odor and infection or skin reactions/dermatitis due to depilation in the genital area were statistically significant for the occurrence of infection. These results highlight the importance of preventive actions and health education in health units, since genital care and genital hygiene habits may be associated with the occurrence of vulvovaginitis.