The relationship between overweight and obesity in girls with vulvovaginitis and duration of breastfeeding
Aim. To assess the relationship of the anthropometric parameters of girls with the development of vulvovaginitis and the duration of breastfeeding. Materials and methods. To achieve this goal, 175 prepubertal girls at the age of 3-6 years, 73 girls with vulvovaginitis (main group) and 102 girls examined at a routine preventive examination in a children’s polyclinic without symptoms or signs of vulvovaginitis were examined, constituted a comparison group. When analyzing the anthropometric data of girls, we used the centile tables of M. Dementyev and B. I. Ilyina. Patients with a history of suspected sexual abuse or suspected vaginal foreign body were excluded from the study. Legal representatives of the subjects were informed about the purpose of the study and gave written informed voluntary consent. As part of a survey of the child’s legal representatives and copying data from outpatient cards, information was obtained about the mother’s obstetric and gynecological history, the child’s height and weight at birth, and the child’s height and weight at the time of the examination was assessed. Evaluation of the nature of feeding was carried out in 174 girls (1 girl was adopted). The processing of statistical data and the establishment of statistical significance was carried out using the chi-square test. Differences with a significance level of P < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. The method of multiple logistic regression was used to establish the influence of the child’s anthropometric data on the likelihood of vulvovaginitis and the relationship with the presence and duration of lactation. Results. There is a relationship between the anthropometric data of girls at birth and at the age of 3 to 6 years and the development of vulvovaginitis. In the group with vulvovaginitis, girls with a weight-growth coefficient at birth less than 3 centile (p = 0.044) were less common, and vulvovaginitis developed 2.79 times more often (95% CI: 1.2-6.53) in girls with overweight and obesity between the ages of 3 and 6. There is no relationship between the anthropometric data of the child, the presence and duration of breastfeeding. Conclusion. It was established that there is a relationship between the anthropometric data of girls at birth and at the age of 3-6 years and the development of vulvovaginitis. In the group with vulvovaginitis, girls with a weight-growth coefficient at birth less than 3 centile (p = 0.044) were less common, and vulvovaginitis developed 2.79 times more often in girls with overweight and obesity at the age of 3-6 years (95% CI: 1.2-6.53). There is no relationship between the anthropometric data of the child, the presence and duration of breastfeeding.