Association of Recurrent Candidal Vaginitis with Inheritance of Lewis Blood Group Antigens

A subset of women with candidal vulvovaginitis have no known risk factors for recurrent episodes. Although there are reports of an association of blood group antigens with various infections, no such association has been described with candidal vulvovaginitis. The ABO, Pl, and Lewis group phenotypes of 35 women with recurrent vulvovaginitis but without other chronic infections were determined. These were compared with those of a control group of 40 women without a history of candidal vulvovaginitis. The distribution of ABO blood types and P blood group phenotype did not differ from those in controls. However, vulvovaginitis patients were more likely than controls to be classified as Lea-b-(χ2 = 6.4, 1 df, P =.011). Women without known predisposing factors may have a genetic predisposition to recurrent vulvovaginitis, as evidenced by a higher frequency of Lea-b-phenotype profiles compared with controls.