Clinical Study on Sequential Therapy of Chinese Medicine Combined with Clotrimazole Vaginal Swelling Suppositories in the Treatment of Recurrent Vulvovaginal Candidia⁃ sis with Syndrome of Spleen Deficiency and Damp-Heat
Abstract:Objective:To observe the clinical efficacy of sequential therapy of Chinese medicine combined with Clotrimazole Vaginal Swelling Suppositories in the treatment of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (RVVC) with the syndrome of spleen deficiency and damp-heat. Methods: Sixty patients with RVVC of the syndrome of spleen deficiency and damp-heat who visited the Affiliated Hospital of Gansu University of Chinese Medicine from May 2023 to May 2024 were selected and divided into the control group and the study group by the random number table method, with 30 cases in each group. The control group was treated with Clotrimazole Vaginal Swelling Suppositories for two consecutive weeks. The study group was given sequential therapy of Chinese medicine on the basis of the control group (oral Longdan Xiegan Decoction for one week before menstruation and oral Wandai Decoction for two weeks after menstruation) . The Vulvovaginal Symptoms and Signs (VSS) scores, vaginal microecological indexes, serum inflammatory factors and recurrence rate were compared between the two groups. Results: After treatment, the VSS scores of both groups were lower than those before treatment, and the VSS scores of the study group were lower than those of the control group, with differences being significant (P<0.05) . The proportions of pH value of 4.0-4.4, cleanliness of grade Ⅰ-Ⅱ,microbial density of grade Ⅱ-Ⅲ,dominant bacteria of Lactobacillus and negative catalase in both groups were higher than those before treatment, and the proportions of the above five vaginal microecological indexes in the study group were higher than those in the control group,with differences being significant (P<0.05) . The levels of serum interleukin-6 (IL-6),interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in both groups were lower than those before treatment,and the levels of serum IL-6,IFN-γ,and TNF-α in the study group were lower than those in the control group,with differences being significant (P<0.05) . At 14 days and one month after treatment, there were no significant differences in the recurrence rate between the two groups (P>0.05) . At three months and six months after treatment,the recurrence rate of the study group was lower than that of the control group,with differences being significant (P<0.05) .Conclusion:Sequential therapy of Chinese medicine combined with Clotrimazole Vaginal Swelling Suppositories is superior to the use of Clotrimazole Vaginal Swelling Suppositories alone in relieving the symptoms and signs of patients with RVVC of the syndrome of spleen deficiency and damp-heat, restoring the vaginal microecology,reducing the levels of inflammatory factors and the recurrence rate.