Evaluation of the Effect of the Nifuratel - Nystatin Combination to Treat Bacterial Vaginosis in Postmenopausal Women, Armenia, Colombia, 2013-2016

Abstract

Introduction: Bacterial vaginosis, or vaginal dysbiosis, is one of the most common vaginal conditions, characterized by a pathological change in the vaginal microbiota. Objective: To establish the effect of the nifuratel - nystatin combination to treat bacterial vaginosis in postmenopausal women. Materials and methods: Cohort study in 57 sexually active postmenopausal women, who consulted for vaginal discharge syndrome, in which the diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis was made; between 2013 and 2016. In a private clinic in Armenia (Colombia). The effect was evaluated by observing the disappearance of symptoms in the first follow-up (seven days after initiating the treatment) and with the Amsel criteria and the Nugent score one month after the end of therapy. The dose used was nifuratel 500 mg - nystatin 200,000 IU intravaginally daily for six days. Convenience sampling was conducted. Descriptive statistics were used. Results: The mean age of the women was 57.36 ± 4.28 years. The most frequent symptom was white-grayish vaginal discharge in 91.22% of the participants, followed by bad odor in 85.96%. In the seven-day follow-up, the symptoms disappeared in 94.73% of the patients. In the month's follow-up, 89.47% of the women reported absence of symptoms; which was confirmed with the Amsel criteria and a median Nugent score of 3. Therapeutic failure, at one month, was 10.52% (n = 6/57). In none of the patients there were adverse reactions. Conclusions: The nifuratel - nystatin combination reports a notable effect to treat bacterial vaginosis in postmenopausal women; being well tolerated and without adverse reactions. Randomized controlled clinical trials of its efficacy and safety in larger populations are required in order to establish recurrence rates.