Eckel F, Farr A, Deinsberger J, Kernmayer-Farr K, Foessleitner P. Dequalinium Chloride for the Treatment of Vulvovaginal Infections: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
J Low Genit Tract Dis 2024;
28:76-83. [PMID:
38117564 DOI:
10.1097/lgt.0000000000000790]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE/PURPOSE
Women at reproductive age frequently experience vulvovaginal infections and vaginitis. The most common etiologies are vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC), bacterial vaginosis (BV), desquamative inflammatory vaginitis/aerobic vaginitis, and trichomoniasis. Various treatment options are available for these infections, such as specific antimicrobial or antiseptic agents. Dequalinium chloride (DQC) is a local antiseptic agent with a broad antimicrobial and antifungal spectrum. Multiple studies suggest that DQC is an efficient treatment for vaginal infections; however, it is not widely recommended as a first-line treatment. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to evaluate the efficacy of DQC compared with that of standard treatment.
METHODS
Our systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines. PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and clinicaltrials.org were searched to retrieve relevant reports up to October 2022.
RESULTS
Four randomized controlled studies and 1 observational study were included in this review. Overall, DQC showed noninferiority to the reference treatments for BV and VVC, and to the evaluated treatment options for desquamative inflammatory vaginitis/aerobic vaginitis. For BV and VVC, this could also be confirmed in a meta-analysis including 3 randomized controlled studies. No serious adverse events were reported in any of these studies.
CONCLUSIONS
Dequalinium chloride offers a safe, well-tolerated, and efficient treatment option for vulvovaginal infections of different etiologies. However, further studies are needed to confirm our findings and allow inclusion of DQC as a first-line treatment into guidelines.
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