Acute cervicitis

　　Acute cervicitis is mainly caused by pathogens of sexually transmitted diseases, such as Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis. Acute cervicitis caused by Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, and Enterococcus is less common. In addition, the accidental retention of gauze in the birth canal by medical personnel and the improper use of high-concentration acidic or alkaline solutions for vaginal irrigation can also cause acute cervicitis. Some cervical surgeries, such as the injury or perforation of the cervix during cervical dilation or the injury to the cervix or uterus during diagnostic curettage, are also one of the causes of acute cervicitis.

　　If acute cervicitis is not treated properly, it can lead to ascending infection and complications such as salpingitis, endometritis, pelvic inflammation, and infertility. Women with cervicitis often have明显 increased cervical secretions, thick consistency, forming a cervical mucus plug that blocks the cervical canal; there are also a large number of leukocytes in the cervical secretions, which seriously affect the sperms' ability to pass through the cervix and enter the uterine cavity and fallopian tubes. An unfavorable inflammatory environment not only shortens the lifespan of sperms and reduces sperm vitality but also causes inflammatory cells to wrap and engulf a large number of sperms, rendering them inactive. Additionally, the thick cervical secretions secreted by cervical cells also make it difficult for sperms to pass through smoothly, ultimately leading to infertility.

　　Increased leukorrhea is the most common symptom of acute cervicitis, sometimes even the only symptom, often呈脓性. Due to the coexistence of cervicitis with urethritis, cystitis, or acute vaginal inflammation, acute endometritis, etc., other symptoms of cervicitis are often masked, such as varying degrees of lower abdominal, lumbar sacral pain, and bladder irritation symptoms. In cases of acute gonococcal cervicitis, fever of varying degrees may occur.

　　To prevent acute cervicitis, attention should be paid to the following aspects in daily life:
　　8. Pay attention to the cleanliness of the vulva and vagina. Prevent infection after childbirth, abortion, and post-cervical treatment surgery, and avoid sexual life in the short term.
　　7. Avoid early, excessive, and frequent childbirth and abortion. Childbirth and abortion can cause damage to the cervix, providing an opportunity for bacterial invasion.
　　6. Avoid unclean sexual life. Unclean sexual life is prone to carry various pathogens, which can trigger cervicitis or even cervical cancer.
　　4. Actively treat acute cervicitis; have regular gynecological examinations (once a year); avoid delivery or instrumental injury to the cervix; and suture the cervix laceration promptly after childbirth.
　　5. Not starting sexual life prematurely is a key factor in effectively preventing cervicitis. The squamous epithelium of the cervix during adolescence has not yet matured, and sexual life can easily cause the shedding of squamous cells, leading to cervicitis.

　　The diagnosis of acute cervicitis, in addition to clinical manifestations, also requires auxiliary examination methods that are indispensable. Common examinations include the following:
　　1. Secretion examination Bacterial culture and drug sensitivity test, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and nucleic acid detection.
　　2. Gynecological examination The cervix is congested, swollen, the mucosa is everted, and purulent discharge flows out from the cervical canal; the cervix is tender to touch and easy to bleed. If it is due to Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection, because the paraurethral glands and the great vestibular glands are involved, the mucosa of the urethral orifice and the vaginal orifice is congested and swollen, and a large amount of purulent discharge is present.

　　Acute cervicitis patients should have a light diet, eat more vegetables and fruits. In addition, the following foods should be avoided:
　　1. Avoid spicy, fried, and hot foods For example, chili, onions, mustard, roasted chicken, as well as beef, mutton, dog meat, etc. Because these foods are mostly hot in nature, if patients eat them, they may cause heat and fire, leading to the aggravation of the condition.
　　2. Avoid eating seafood and other promoting foods Common freshwater and seafood products such as sea fish, shrimps, crabs, clams and abalones belong to promoting foods. If they are eaten during the treatment period, they are not conducive to the subsidence of inflammation.
　　3. Avoid sweet and greasy foods Patients should not eat overly sweet and greasy foods, such as candies, cream cakes, eight-treasure rice, pork, mutton fat, egg yolks, etc. Because these foods have the effect of promoting dampness, they will reduce the therapeutic effect of cervicitis and make the condition difficult to recover.
　　4. Avoid drinking alcohol Smoking and drinking have a strong irritative effect, belong to warm and hot刺激性 foods. If smoking and drinking are not prohibited during the treatment period, it is not only difficult to achieve the therapeutic effect, but also may worsen the condition.

　　The main treatment for acute cervicitis is physical therapy, which is currently a widely used treatment method with the advantages of short course and good efficacy. It is suitable for cases with severe inflammation and deep infiltration of inflammation, and common methods include electrocautery, laser therapy or cryotherapy. Only when considering surgical treatment for cervicitis in elderly patients with long-term treatment failure or suspected precancerous lesions, but in fact, it is easy to cause instrument infection and cause greater harm to the cervix, dilators being one of them. If the condition is not very serious, it is best not to undergo surgery at will. The surgery for treating cervicitis is rarely used at present.