Association between bacterial Vaginosis and precancerous changes of the Cervix

Introduction: The majority of studies published so far on bacterial vaginosis (BV) have not been consistent in associating BV and cervical dysplasia. The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between BV and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), and between BV and degree of severity of these changes on the uterine cervix. Materials and Methods: The study included sexually active women who were referred by gynecologists to colposcopic examination: Based on histopathological results, the examinees were divided into three groups: 41 women with confirmed CIN changes; 30 women without precancerous and cancerous changes in the cervix and 29 women with histopathologically confirmed invasive cervical cancer. Microbiological testing of samples from the genital tract included direct microscopic smears, wet and stained, and inoculation of culture medium, testing for Chlamydia trachomatis and genital mycoplasmas. Results: BV was present among 18 (43.9%) women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and 13 (44.8%) women with invasive cancer, which in both cases meant statistically significantly higher frequency compared to women without precancerous and cancerous cervical changes, who had confirmed bacterial vaginosis in 3 (10.0%) cases (p = 0.003). The risk of finding the precancerous changes on the cervix was 8.36 (1.89 to 37.04) times higher in patients with BY than in women without that infection. Conclusion: BV was significantly more common in women with the finding of precancerous changes in the cervix, and was not associated with severity of histopathological changes in the cervix.