TY - JOUR
T1 - Bacterial Vaginosis and Alcohol Consumption
T2 - A Cross-Sectional Retrospective Study in Baltimore, Maryland
AU - Froehle, Leah
AU - Ghanem, Khalil G.
AU - Page, Kathleen
AU - Hutton, Heidi E.
AU - Chander, Geetanjali
AU - Hamill, Matthew M.
AU - Gilliams, Elizabeth
AU - Tuddenham, Susan
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
PY - 2021/12/1
Y1 - 2021/12/1
N2 - Background Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most cited cause of vaginal complaints among women of reproductive age. Its etiology and associated risk factors are not entirely understood. Here we examined the association between BV and at-risk alcohol consumption in women attending 2 sexually transmitted infection (STI) clinics in Baltimore, MD. Methods This was a retrospective cross-sectional analysis using data from first clinic visits from 2011-2016. At-risk alcohol use was defined as heavy episodic ("binge") drinking within the last 30 days or a self-report of having had vaginal or anal sex in the context of alcohol consumption. Pearson χ2 test and Student t test were used to assess baseline associations. Log binomial models were used to estimate prevalence ratios (PRs) before and after adjustments for potential confounding factors. Results Of the 10,991 women included in the analysis, 2173 (19.7%) met the clinical diagnostic criteria for BV. Having had vaginal or anal sex in the context of alcohol consumption was associated with an increased risk of BV (PR, 1.25; 95% confidence interval, 1.13-1.37), as was binge drinking (PR, 1.15; 95% confidence interval, 1.04-1.27) after adjustment for confounders. Conclusions In this population, at-risk alcohol consumption was associated with an increased risk of BV. The mechanisms remain uncertain. Future prospective studies are needed to verify and evaluate causality in these associations.
AB - Background Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most cited cause of vaginal complaints among women of reproductive age. Its etiology and associated risk factors are not entirely understood. Here we examined the association between BV and at-risk alcohol consumption in women attending 2 sexually transmitted infection (STI) clinics in Baltimore, MD. Methods This was a retrospective cross-sectional analysis using data from first clinic visits from 2011-2016. At-risk alcohol use was defined as heavy episodic ("binge") drinking within the last 30 days or a self-report of having had vaginal or anal sex in the context of alcohol consumption. Pearson χ2 test and Student t test were used to assess baseline associations. Log binomial models were used to estimate prevalence ratios (PRs) before and after adjustments for potential confounding factors. Results Of the 10,991 women included in the analysis, 2173 (19.7%) met the clinical diagnostic criteria for BV. Having had vaginal or anal sex in the context of alcohol consumption was associated with an increased risk of BV (PR, 1.25; 95% confidence interval, 1.13-1.37), as was binge drinking (PR, 1.15; 95% confidence interval, 1.04-1.27) after adjustment for confounders. Conclusions In this population, at-risk alcohol consumption was associated with an increased risk of BV. The mechanisms remain uncertain. Future prospective studies are needed to verify and evaluate causality in these associations.
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U2 - 10.1097/OLQ.0000000000001495
DO - 10.1097/OLQ.0000000000001495
M3 - Article
C2 - 34618783
AN - SCOPUS:85121957771
SN - 0148-5717
VL - 48
SP - 986
EP - 990
JO - Sexually transmitted diseases
JF - Sexually transmitted diseases
IS - 12
ER -