Vulvovaginal examinations in elderly nursing home women residents

The purpose of this study was to survey nursing home women residents for pathologies in the vulvovaginal area. A total of 96 nursing and skilled nursing elderly woman, from four long-term care (LTC) wards entered the study. The average age was 82 (range 66-98). A total of 88% were wheel chair bound, 86% were urinary incontinent and 80% were communication handicapped. A total of 29% of the examined women had vulvovaginal pathologies. Atrophic vaginitis was detected in 14 cases. Candida vaginitis was found in four cases. Six women had uterine prolapse, three had lichen sclerosus and two had cervical polyps. Such a high rate of findings is probably influenced by age related changes, immobilization and incontinence. This study, a first of its kind emphasizes the importance of routine vulvovaginal examination in elderly LTC women.