Candida vaginitis - Self-reported incidence and associated costs

Background and Objectives: Incidence of Candida vaginitis by age and racial or ethnic group is poorly described. Goal: Estimate incidence, cumulative probability of presumed C vaginitis by age, racial or ethnic group, and associated costs. Study Design: Random digit-dialing survey of 2000 US women. Results: A total of 6.5 percent (95% CI, 5.4-7.5%) of women older than 18 y ears reported a least one episode of presumed C vaginitis during the previo us 2 months. Women reporting a 1-year period with four or more episodes com prised 8.0% of the sample but accounted for 37.2% of women reporting episod es. Black women reported approximately three times more yeast infections in the previous 2 months (17.4%: 95% CI, 11.2-23.5%) than white women (5.8%; 95% CI, 4.7-6.9%). Conclusion: The high incidence and the propensity for recurrence underscore the need for a better understanding of the epidemiology and pathogenesis, and stress the need for the development of more accurate, rapid diagnostics and effective treatments.