COMPARING HAY'S CRITERIA AND NUGENT'S SCORING SYSTEM FOR DIAGNOSING BACTERIAL VAGINOSIS IN VIETNAM: A 2023 STUDY

SUMMARY Objective: This study aimed to assess the simplicity and diagnostic effectiveness of the Hay et al. method in comparison to the Nugent scoring system for diagnosing Bacterial Vaginosis (BV). Method: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted on 290 women who sought medical consultation for abnormal vaginal discharge at the National Hospital between September 2022 and June 2023. Results: According to Nugent’s scoring system, 62 patients (21.4%) were diagnosed with BV, 20 patients (6.9%) exhibited intermediate flora, and 208 patients (71.7%) had normal vaginal flora. The diagnostic performance of the Hay/Ison criteria demonstrated a sensitivity of 98.4%, specificity of 98.2%, a positive predictive value of 93.8%, and a negative predictive value of 99.6%, with a Kappa coefficient of 0.95. A significant correlation was observed between the presence of clue cells and both Hay’s grade III (p < 0.001) and Nugent’s score of 7–10 (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The Hay classification system proved to be a highly effective diagnostic tool, allowing clinicians to evaluate BV based on the relative quantities of Lactobacilli and Gardnerella morphologies. This simplified method offers a practical and reliable alternative to Nugent’s scoring system, making it particularly suitable for use in hospitals and healthcare facilities. Key word: Bacterial vaginosis, Nugent’s score, Hay/Ison criteria.