Severity of inflammation in the Papanicolaou reports according to the etiologic agent found in a public hospital in northern Peru

Background: Sexually transmitted infections are a health problem with many implications, associated factors, ranging from the beginning of intercourse, number of partners, contraceptive methods use, among others. By cytology can assess inflammatory changes and the presence of pathogens. The relationship between the above factors is known but there are not enough studies. Objective: To determine the association between the severity of the report and the etiologic agent found in the cervical-vaginal cytology. Methods: Cross-sectional study of Papanicolaous reports from 2007-2011 of obstetrics and gynecology's area at "Hospital de Apoyo II-2, Sullana", Piura, Peru. A convenience sampling census type (n=1535) was performed to obtain type of agent's data according to the degree of inflammation; also descriptive and analytical analysis was performed using the tests chi-square and Mann Whitney. Results: The median age of patients was 36 years. Pathogens was found in 34[%]; the most common were Candida (64[%]) and Gardnerella (28[%]). A strong association between the severity of inflammation and the presence of Gardnerella (p<0.001) was found; Trichomonas (p<0.001), the co-infection of two germs (p<0.001) and for each additional year of age of the patient (p<0.001). Conclusions: The severity of the report Papanicolaous is associated with the type of germ, co-infection and the age of the patient. This should be taken into account for the therapeutic management in similar populations.