Vaginitis, Colpitis: Classification

The following forms are distinguished according to their clinic and etiology (causes):

Clinic

  • Acute colpitis with acute, pronounced symptoms and a laboratory diagnosis
  • Subacute colpitis with minor or absent symptoms, but with a laboratory diagnosis.
  • Chronic colpitis with often absent or chronic recurrent (recurring) symptoms and a laboratory diagnosis.

Etiology (causes)

  • Infections:
    • Frequent
      • Bacterial vaginosis (amine colpitis) (40-50% of cases).
      • Fungal infections with Candida (20-25% of cases). Of these:
        • Candida albicans (about 80%).
        • Candida glabrata (about 10-15%), especially in chronic infections.
        • Candida krusei (rare, about 1-5%).
      • Trichomonads (15-20% of cases, but rare in Germany, about 1%).
    • Rarely
      • Colpitis plasmacellularis (synonyms: colpitis plasmacellularis, purulent colpitis, follicular colpitis, purulent vaginitis).
      • Staphylococcus aureus colpitis
        • Toxic shock syndromes (toxic shock syndrome, TSS; synonym: tampon disease) – severe circulatory and organ failure caused by bacterial toxins (usually enterotoxin of the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, less commonly streptococcus, then called streptococcal-induced toxic shock syndrome).
      • Streptococcal colpitis
        • A-streptococcal colpitis
        • Puerperal fever/childbed fever
        • Streptococcal induced toxic shock syndrome (STSS; Streptococcal toxic Shock Syndrome).
      • Viral infections
        • Condylomata acuminata (papillomavirus infection, HPV (human papilloma virus) types 6 and 11).
        • Herpes simplex viruses
      • Varia
        • Atrophic colpitis (colpitis senilis; estrogen-deficiency colpitis) with bacterial superinfection.
        • Foreign body colpitis with bacterial superinfection.
        • Injuries (surgeries, pessaries, sexual practices, etc.) with bacterial superinfection.
        • Various colpitis inducing substances with bacterial superinfection.
  • Non-infectious colpitis
    • Atrophic colpitis (estrogen deficiency colpitis).
      • Postmenopausal colpitis (colpitis senilis; vaginitis during and after menopause due to the vaginal mucosa no longer being fully built up).
      • Postpuerperal atrophic colpitis (” vaginitis after the puerperium due to the incomplete buildup of the vaginal mucosa).
    • Dermatoses (skin diseases)
      • Atopic vulvitis*
      • Behçet’s syndrome (erosive, ulcerative, edematous).
      • Lichen ruber (planus) (papular, erosive) (nodular lichen).
      • Lichen sclerosus et atrophicus (LSA)* – rarely occurring, chronic inflammatory disease of the connective tissue, which is probably one of the autoimmune diseases.
      • Psoriasis (psoriasis)* .
    • Varia
      • Injuries (e.g., surgeries, pessaries, sexual practices).
      • Various colpitis-inducing substances (e.g., allergic, chemical, drug, toxic)

* Relatively common genital dermatoses in young girls.