Bacterial vaginosis and its association with human papilloma virus and increased risk of cervical intraepithelial lesions: An experience from Eastern India

Abstract

Background: Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common vaginal disorder affecting women of reproductive age and has an influence in acquisition of certain genital infections. However, it is difficult to determine whether BV is actually a risk factor for human papilloma virus (HPV) acquisition or not and whether it may lead to cervical cancer. Aim of the Study: The aim of the present study is to determine the prevalence of BV and its association with HPV infection and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). Materials and Methods: A multiinstitutional prospective study was conducted to analyze the vaginal samples collected from the women aged between 19 and 49 years during the period from December 2014 to January 2018. Results: A total of 333 women with vaginal samples were analyzed for BV. 103 (30.93%) samples were diagnosed with BV as per Amsel's criteria. The prevalence of HPV DNA was higher in BV-positive cases in comparison to that of BV-negative cases (44.7% vs. 9.6%; P = 0.000) showing a significant association between BV and HPV infection. There was a rising trend in the incidence of CIN for women diagnosed with BV when compared to BV negative women (62.1% vs. 43%; P = 0.506), although statistically insignificant. Moreover, the severity/high grading of CIN was not significantly associated with BV (P = 0.765). Conclusion: The result of our study hypothesized that BV was significantly associated with increased risk of HPV infection. There was a rising trend for the association of BV with CIN incidence although statistically insignificant.