EVALUATING BACTERIAL VARGINOSIS USING THE NUGENT SCORING SYSTEM

EVALUATING BACTERIAL VARGINOSIS USING THE NUGENT SCORING SYSTEM
 
ABSTRACT
Bacterial vaginosis is the most common form of vaginal infection in women of reproductive age. It is a condition with diverse etiology and an important cause of morbidity in women of reproductive age. This study was carried out to determine the accuracy of using the Nugent scoring system as a means of diagnosing Bacterial vaginosis. The prospective study was conducted in Benin City, Edo state between July and September 2012 and included 67 women between the ages of 16 and 45 years. Specimens collected from the lateral wall of the vagina were subjected to Gram staining and the microscopic slides examined and the different morphotypes of bacteria quantified using the Nugent scoring system. The age range was 16-45 years with a mean of 24.9 years. BV was diagnosed by the Nugent method in 13.4% of women with the highest prevalence found in the age group of 16-20 years. The relationship of a positive whiff test, presence of clue cells and a pH>4.5 with bacterial vaginosis was shown to be highly significant (p=0.0051, P=0.001, P=0.0077). Nugent scoring system appears to be a reliable and convenient method for laboratory evaluation of cases of bacterial vaginosis.