McGill pain questionnaire findings among women with vulvodynia and chronic yeast infection.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether patients referred for vulvar pain or candidiasis had different characteristics of pain as measured by the McGill Pain Scale or the number of McGill categories chosen.


METHODS
Data were collected at the University of Michigan Center for Vulvar Diseases between April 1998 and March 2003. The association between the McGill pain score and the number of McGill categories selected with the diagnostic categories of vestibulodynia, generalized vulvodynia and chronic yeast infections were evaluated.


RESULTS
A total of 196 women presented with vulvodynia (105 women with vestibulodynia, 91 women with generalized vulvodynia) and 50 women presented with Candida vulvovaginitis. The vulvodynia groups had McGill scores and numbers of categories selected that were increased compared with the Candida group (24.16+/-13.03 and 24.37+/-12.82 vs. 16.20+/-10.21 for the McGill score, p<0.001, and 9.22+/-4.11 and 9.87+/-4.44 vs. 7.30+/-3.70 for the numbers of categories selected, p = 0.002).


CONCLUSIONS
Patients presenting with complaints of a yeast infection have a statistically lower McGill pain score and McGill pain indicators compared with patients with vulvar pain.
Saunders
Natalie A
NA
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-0276, USA. nsaunder@med.umich.edu
Reed
Barbara D
BD
Haefner
Hope K
HK
D000328:Adult; D002181:Candidiasis, Vulvovaginal / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010146:Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010465:Perception; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012307:Risk Factors