Endocervicitis - a fairly common female disease, which is an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the cervical canal and cervix.
Causes of endocervicitis
The cause of inflammation of the mucosa is an infection that has penetrated into the female body. Endocervicitis can cause sexually transmitted infections (chlamydia, gonococci, trichomonads), as well as mycoplasmas, staphylococci, streptococci, Escherichia coli, less often - viruses and fungi of the genus Candida. Increase the risk and provoke infection of cervical injury (ruptures during childbirth, microtraumas with abortions, establishment of an intrauterine device, etc.). Disease-causing microorganisms, against a background of reduced for one reason or another general and (or) local immunity, lead to the development of acute endocervicitis.
It is very important to recognize acute endocervicitis in time and begin treatment, as it has the ability to quickly flow into a chronic form. The causes of chronic endocervicitis, in addition to the untreated acute form of the disease, can be other chronic diseases (colpitis, endometritis, etc.). To provoke the development of chronic endocervicitis can also misapplication of hormonal contraceptives.
What is the risk of chronic endocervicitis?
With prolonged course, without proper treatment, endocervicitis can lead to such unpleasant and dangerous consequences as deep hyperplastic and dystrophic changes in the cervical tissues, the formation of cysts.
Symptoms of chronic endocervicitis
The severity of symptoms of endocervicitis in the acute phase depends on the type of pathogen. For example, endocervicitis caused by gonococci has a pronounced clinical picture and, as a rule, is successfully diagnosed already at the initial stage. And the endocervicit of chlamydial etiology, on the contrary, proceeds initially in an erased form and, remaining in the first stage unnoticed, passes into a chronic process.
In chronic endocervicitis, patients usually complain of the following symptoms:
- uncharacteristic mucous, purulent or liquid discharge from the genital tract, which can be both abundant and insignificant in number;
- stupid pulling pains in the lower abdomen and in the lower back.
Other complaints, for example, on pain when urinating or cramping uterine cramps may indicate that a concomitant disease develops (urethritis, endometritis, etc.).
When gynecological examination for the presence of endocervicitis can indicate swelling and redness of the cervix, its hypertrophy. Precise diagnosis of chronic endocervicitis can be made as a result of examination using mirrors, colposcopy, cytological examination, bacterial examination of the discharge (vaginal smears make it possible to establish the type of pathogen and prescribe the optimal treatment).
Treatment of chronic endocervicitis
The treatment regimen for endocervicitis is chosen by a doctor and depends on the type of pathogen and the stage of the disease. Complex therapy is prescribed, which includes:
- reception of antibacterial or antifungal agents (depending on the type of pathogen) - both inside and locally;
- reception immunomoduljatorov - for activization of the general and local immunity;
- Enzymes - to prevent the development of dysbiosis;
- local procedures (permissible only in the chronic stage, with an extinguished inflammatory process): tampons, vaginal baths, syringing;
- physiotherapy: laser therapy and electrophoresis;
- reception of vitamins;
- with severe cervical hypertrophy the doctor
can prescribe operative treatment: partial excision of the cervix.
There are many folk remedies for endocervicitis treatment at home. For example, tampons with sea buckthorn oil with daily application for 2 weeks contribute to the healing of inflamed mucosa. Indeed, traditional medicine often helps to recover more quickly from many ailments. But the main thing when using folk remedies is to coordinate their choice with the attending physician and only supplement, rather than replace them with the complex therapy prescribed by a specialist.