Week 10 Peer Responses
Dear T. L.
I agree with you that the patient is likely to be suffering from bacterial vaginosis or trichomoniasis. The two conditions have almost similar symptoms in terms of soreness, redness and itching of the genitals. Most importantly, the two conditions have a yellowing, white, clear, or greenish vaginal discharge that is usually fishy smelling. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2020), one of the major sign of bacterial vaginosis is a strong fish-like smell, mainly after sex. However, I disagree with you when it comes to the diagnosis criteria that can be used to differentiate between bacterial vaginosis and trichomoniasis. In your post, you have identified that a pH greater than 5.0 is an indication of a positive trichomoniasis diagnosis. At the same time, you have indicated that a pH greater than 4.5 is indicative that a person has bacterial vaginosis. However, Rosenberger and Courtney (2017) argue that the use of pH scale to correctly confirm that a person has trichomoniasis or bacterial vaginosis is not possible. This is because there are many vaginal infections that may increase the vaginal pH not just bacterial vaginosis and trichomoniasis. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
References
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Bacterial vaginosis (BV). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/std/bv/stdfact-bacterial-vaginosis.htm
Rosenberger, K. & Courtney, F. (2017). A missed diagnosis of trichomoniasis. The Nurse Practitioner, 42(2): 1-4.
Dear B. R.
You have provided a very insightful post. I agree with you when it comes to the efficacy of the Whiff tests in evaluating the fishy odor linked to bacterial vaginosis. According to Rosenberger and Courtney (2017), the Whiff test is preferred for ruling out bacterial vaginosis. You have done an exemplary job explaining how a Whiff test is conducted as well as its application in differentiation various vaginal infections.
However, I disagree with you that the patient in question may be suffering from vaginitis. This is a very wide diagnosis. Each of the conditions that together termed as vaginitis has unique character traits. For instance, Neal, Kus, Eckert, and Peipert (2020) argue that the vaginitis can be categorized into two groups: inflammatory and noninflammatory vaginitis. One form of noninflamatory vaginitis is bacterial vaginosis (BV). BV is characterized by purulent discharge, irritation, and the presence of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (Neal et al., 2019). As such, the patient in question elicits symptoms associated with BV and not vaginitis which is too broad to be considered as a correct diagnosis for the case study under review.
References
Neal, C. M., Kus, L. H., Eckert, L. O., & Peipert, J. F. (2020). Non-Candidal Vaginitis: A Comprehensive Approach to Diagnosis & Management. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 222(2). 114-122.
Rosenberger, K. & Courtney, F. (2017). A missed diagnosis of trichomoniasis. The Nurse Practitioner, 42(2): 1-4.