Background & Objectives: It is estimated that as many as 75% of women experience at least one episode of vulvovaginal candidiasis during the lifetime and about 5% will have recurrent infections. There are clear association between vaginal candidiasis and uncontrolled diabetes mellitus. The purpose of this study was to determine whether non-diabetic women with recurrent vaginal candidiasis have an impaired glucose metabolism.

  Methods: This case-control study was carried out with 32 patients suffering from recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis as case group and 30 control patients who had negative history of vaginal candidiasis during the previous year and had referred to the clinics for reasons other than vaginal candidiasis. The case group had referrd to the gynecology clinics three times during the previous year and were recognized to have vaginal candidiasis. They were being treated by antifungal drugs and had at least one positive candida culture. Both groups underwent standardized oral glucose tolerance test with 75-gram dose of glucose. The data were analysed using Chi-square and t-test.

  Results: Women with recurrent vaginal candidiasis had a mean body mass index greater than the control subjects (23.4 versus 21.5, p=0.001). They had no more incidences of overt or preclinical diabetes mellitus than the control subjects, but a greater proportion of them had at least one glucose concentration above the 95^th percentile (p=0.015). Glucose concentrations were significantly higher in recurrent vaginal candidiasis cases than in control subjecs at 30, 60 and 75 minutes after the intake of 75-gram dose of glucose (p<0.05). This amount of glucose led to a 15.8% increase in serum glucose level in case group compared to the control group.

  Conclusion: Glucose tolerance test was mildy impaired in women with recurrent vaginal candidiasis. The plasma glucose concentration increased in 2 hours after 75 g glucose intake. Although the obtained results were not in the range of occult diabetes, it can designate the important of glucose tolerance test in women with recurrent vaginal candidiasis.