There should always be a good microflora in a woman's vagina. It is with it that a person's resistance to various kinds of infections is associated. Normally, this organ is a reservoir in which there are two types of microflora. There should be 10 times more aerobic formations than anaerobic ones. As a rule, the first type is represented by lactobacilli. Thanks to them, harmful bacteria do not multiply. Several factors can cause a woman to develop vaginal imbalance. It happens that anaerobes replace lactic acid bacteria. The former should be present in small quantities, but as a result of this process, the microflora becomes problematic. From a medical point of view, the described disease is called gardnerellosis. This pathology is quite popular, it is diagnosed in 40% of patients. The risk of catching pathology is high in those who have urogenital infections.
Description of pathogen
Before you understand what symptoms of gardnerellosis will disturbhuman, it is necessary to know the process of action of the pathogen. This disease was first identified in 1955. Then the bacterium was called Haemophilus influenzae vaginalis. This organism is an ordinary capsule that does not have nuclei. It is motionless, can reach no more than 2 microns in length. These bacteria look like rods that have a small wall of cells. Certain representatives of gardnerella have a homogeneous membrane structure. These pathogens can multiply even when they do not have access to oxygen. This organism is capable of producing acetic acid.
If the gardnerella at some point becomes aggressive, it begins to multiply actively. In a short time, the microflora in the vagina changes, so a disease occurs. In inactive forms, this bacterium can live up to a year, and on open surfaces up to 6 hours. You can become infected with the described disease in various reservoirs, as well as in public toilets. It should be noted that some he althy women have this bacterium in the microflora of the vagina, but it is in an inactive form, so the disease does not manifest itself.
Disease prevalence
Gardnerellosis is one of the most popular diseases that can be transmitted sexually. Most often they suffer from women. This pathology occurs in 80% of cases in patients prone to inflammation of the genital organs. Also, this disease is often diagnosed in a quarter of he althy women.
Methods of infection
The way it developsgardnerellosis, completely depends on the nature of sexual activity. In women who do not suffer from vaginitis, this pathology is often not diagnosed. Therefore, the risk factors should include the use of medications that violate the hormonal background, stressful situations, dietary problems, especially if a woman does not consume fermented milk products, does not use chlorine-containing antiseptics, does not wear synthetic underwear, she does not have various infections, and also does not menstrual irregularities.
Depending on the cause of gardnerellosis in a woman, the symptoms and drug treatment will be different. The infection can be transmitted not only sexually, but also from mother to child if the birth canal is infected. Sometimes intrauterine infection also occurs. Therefore, this disease should be considered quite contagious. It should be especially noted that symptoms of gardnerellosis often occur in women with ureaplasmosis. Treatment in this case will be aimed at eliminating the primary disease.
Pathogenesis
Only certain representatives of the pathogen are able to produce acetic acid and amino acids, which greatly change the microflora. Others produce an formic compound. Sometimes doctors say that this pathogen is not as serious as you might think. Because of the described factor, before prescribing therapy, it is necessary to identify the nature of the gardnerella. The resulting symptoms and drug treatment depend on it.
Gardnerellosis in men occurs when in contact with an infected woman, so you should bethe most careful. This pathogen can form "key" cells, which are characteristic manifestations. That is why it is necessary to take swabs during treatment.
It should be noted that at the moment the pathogenesis of this disease is 100% unclear. However, we can say for sure: gardnerella easily dissolve and destroy phagocytes, and also damage vaginal cells.
Disease forms
Symptoms of gardnerellosis in women vary depending on the form of the disease. There is a certain classification, which implies a division into types.
- Pathology caused by bacteria: vaginosis and problems with the upper genital tract.
- A disease that affects pregnant women.
- Two forms of pathology that cause problems with the female and male bile ducts.
Let's consider separately all types of disease.
Bacterial vaginosis
The most common form of the disease is bacterial vaginosis. Therefore, the question of what are the symptoms and causes of gardnerellosis in women is quite relevant. Treatment of pathology is completely dependent on them. At the same time, it should be noted that other pathogens that are anaerobic can be fixed in the vagina during diagnosis. However, this vaginosis is different in that often no sexually transmitted bacteria are present.
In half of the patients, the symptoms are expressed by the appearance ofdischarge that smells like rotten fish. The second part of the patients have no manifestations - the disease is asymptomatic. Doctors say that the bad smell is a reaction to the metabolism of pathogens.
Diseases in pregnant women
The causes and symptoms of gardnerellosis in women who are carrying a child, as a rule, are the same in all cases. It should be noted that this disease is very common. It affects about 20% of pregnant women. However, often the infection is not intrauterine, because during this period the immune system is active. But it happens that local protective functions fail. Therefore, cellular immunity decreases.
Often, bacterial vaginosis provokes not only problems during pregnancy, but also after it. Most often, women who are diagnosed with this disease give birth prematurely, which entails the development of complications. Often, the symptoms of gardnerellosis (photos of women who have experienced this disease are presented in the article) are combined with manifestations of purulent inflammation. Most often, it is it that allows you to correctly identify the pathology and eliminate it in time. In such cases, sepsis occurs after childbirth.
Upper genital tract affected by bacteria
It should be noted that, as a rule, endometritis develops due to this disease, and there are also cases of blood infection with these pathogens. This causes the person to go into shock.
Surgical intervention is often prescribed for the described pathology. Before the operation, it is necessary to identify the causes and symptoms of gardnerellosis in a woman. Because if there is a possibility of developing bacterial vaginosis, then you should first cure it. Otherwise, complications may occur after the operation.
Problems with the urinary tract in women
This pathology occurs most often due to the lack of treatment for gardnerellosis. This leads to infection of the urethra. There is evidence that he althy women in the urine may have a pathogen. However, in order to diagnose the disease, it is necessary to find more than 1 thousand CFU of bacteria in a milliliter of urine.
Male urinary tract problems
As already mentioned, this problem in men occurs much less frequently. Most often they have inflammation of the anterior urethra. Therefore, among all the symptoms of gardnerellosis, urethritis can also occur. Diagnosing it is quite difficult because the clinical manifestations are minimal.
The patient may complain that he has a discharge, but there is no pain or discomfort. There are practically no complications of this disease in men. But cystitis, pyelonephritis or prostatitis can occur. Therefore, if the disease has no manifestations, then, as a rule, it is not serious.
Symptoms in women
As mentioned above, one of the symptoms of gardnerellosis in women is discharge. They are characterized by a bad smell, they can foam a little. This is due to the fact that the acid in the vagina is reduced. Women often complain about the appearancesevere itching and burning. Often, along with the above symptoms, there is hyperemia of the vagina, uterus and urethra.
If we are talking about an acute form of the disease, then the discharge will be plentiful, thick. They are gray in color.
If the disease is advanced and caused infection of the uterus, as well as the fallopian tube, then a pathology called salpingitis may develop.
Symptomatology in men
As a rule, in the stronger sex, the disease is manifested only by inflammation of the genital organs. If the urinary tract is he althy, then the pathogen will be removed from the body after three days. In the event that a man has reduced immunity or similar pathologies are present, the gardnerella will become aggressive. This will lead to inflammation of the urethra. Often in men, the disease becomes latent, that is, it does not appear. In this case, they become carriers of the bacteria.
In general, if we talk about the possible symptoms of gardnerellosis, they are as similar as possible to urethritis. Burning, discomfort during urination, and serous discharge may occur.
Treatment of disease
Depending on the causes and symptoms of gardnerellosis in women, the treatment will be strictly individual. Often, therapy is aimed at restoring the microflora of the vagina and bringing it to an optimal internal environment. Local treatment does not last more than 10 days. The doctor may prescribe vaginal treatment with a special tool, and patients are also prescribeddouching with soda solution. You should drink drugs that stimulate the immune system and restore the amount of vitamins in the body.
If we talk about systemic treatment, then doctors prescribe drugs that contain clindamycin. In the acute form, a special therapy is prescribed to remove bacteria from the body. Moreover, it lasts no more than 2 weeks. For a complete cure, 2-3 courses are required. In the treatment of this disease, the main problem is that microorganisms are considered opportunistic pathogens. This entails that if the pathogen becomes aggressive, it will multiply in huge numbers. Therefore, before starting treatment, it is necessary to do all the examinations and pass the bakposev. This will reveal which antibacterial drugs can be prescribed.
Folk methods
National treatment has proven itself well. In order to get rid of the mild form of this pathology, it is necessary to use various herbal preparations. However, you need to understand that for a complete cure, you will have to take such tinctures and decoctions for at least six months (maximum - a year). Often use lemongrass, aralia and some other means. Doctors advise not to neglect treatment, as this can lead to the development of not only complications, but also a chronic form.
Conclusions
This article fully describes the symptoms of gardnerellosis, its causes and treatment. If therapy is neglected, then the woman will developvaginosis. This is a rather unpleasant disease, which is also difficult to cure. In men, the described infection leads to inflammation of the walls of the urethra. That is why, if primary symptoms of gardnerellosis occur, you must definitely pay attention to them and go to the doctor. After all, it is easier to prevent a disease or to cure it at an early stage than to deal with complications later. If there is a desire to use folk remedies, then it is advisable to combine them together with the main course of therapy, after consulting with your doctor.
