Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC), commonly known as a yeast infection, is a widespread fungal infection among women. It’s so common that about 3 out of 4 women will have at least one episode during their reproductive years. Yano, Arastehfar Certain things can make some women more likely to get these infections, like taking antibiotics, changes in hormones (such as during pregnancy or when using birth control pills), diabetes, tight clothes, and even sexual activity. Yano
Around 8 to 10% of women deal with recurrent yeast infections (RVVC), meaning they have four or more episodes each year. Yano To give you an idea of how big the issue is, around 138 million women worldwide face this problem annually. That’s a similar number to the people struggling with depression, asthma, or premenstrual syndrome. Denning And the number of yeast infections is expected to keep growing, projected to affect 158 million women every year by 2030. Arastehfar
For women during their reproductive years, there’s about a 75% chance of getting a yeast infection. Those more likely to get it are women whose bodies are affected by hormonal changes like puberty, pregnancy, menopause, or using hormonal birth control or hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Even in healthy women without these risk factors, there’s still a 25% chance of getting recurring yeast infections during their lifetime. Denning
Recurrent yeast infections (RVVC) are a serious, long-lasting problem that can really impact a woman’s life, yet many people don’t realize how challenging they can be and think they’re easy to treat. Arastehfar , DenningSelf-diagnosing isn’t reliable because the symptoms are common and not always specific to yeast infections. Plus, healthcare providers might not always recognize the condition. Arastehfar, Sobel Dealing with RVVC also costs a lot of money, over $14 billion in developed countries, and medications like fluconazole and itraconazole make up a big part of pharmaceutical sales, showing just how widespread the issue is. Arastehfar, Denning But these treatments don’t always work in the long term, and many women have their symptoms come back soon after they stop taking them. Denning, Collins
Recurring yeast infections are a big healthcare problem for women and have serious impacts on their health and well-being. Even though there are treatments available, they are not always effective and there has not been much innovation. With more and more women getting these infections, we need better ways to help them. This would not only ease the pressure on healthcare systems but also make improve women’s lives.
References:
- Yano J, Sobel JD, Nyirjesy P, Sobel R, Williams VL, Yu Q, et al. Current patient perspectives of vulvovaginal candidiasis: incidence, symptoms, management and post-treatment outcomes. BMC Womens Health. 2019;19(1):48. doi: 10.1186/s12905-019-0748-8
- Arastehfar A, Kargar ML, Mohammadi SR, Roudbary M, Ghods N, Haghighi L, et al. A High Rate of Recurrent Vulvovaginal Candidiasis and Therapeutic Failure of Azole Derivatives Among Iranian Women. Front Microbiol. 2021;12:655069. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.655069
- Denning DW, Kneale M, Sobel JD, Rautemaa-Richardson R. Global burden of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis: a systematic review. Lancet Infect Dis. 2018;18(11):e339-e347. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(18)30103-8
- Sobel JD. Recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2016;214(1):15-21. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2015.06.067
- Collins LM, Moore R, Sobel JD. Prognosis and Long-Term Outcome of Women With Idiopathic Recurrent Vulvovaginal Candidiasis Caused by Candida albicans. J Low Genit Tract Dis. 2020;24(1):48-52. doi: 10.1097/LGT.0000000000000496
