Florachek® – Device for Point-of-Care Diagnosis of Women’s Urogenital Health
Epidemiological estimates from India reveal the prevalence of vaginal infections to be as high as 30%.
Data from a CDC study shows that 75% women suffer from a vaginal infection at some point of time in their lives. Yet, in spite of being symptomatic and undergoing clinical evaluation, most of them are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed.
This situation underlines the unmet need for better, simpler and easier tools to diagnose vaginal infections.
Physiological vaginal pH is between 3.8 and 4.5. The right pH of the vagina acts as a shield against pathogens, especially sexually transmitted infections.
The right pH also inactivates the bacterial enzymes with glycolytic activity (sialidase, mucinase, etc) and reinforces the adhesion of lactobacilli to the vaginal epithelium thus improving colonization.
Abnormal alterations in pH are often seen in vaginal pathologies such as
Vaginal pH: A simple, non-invasive indicator of vaginal infections
Measuring the vaginal pH can be a simple and point-of-care diagnostic technique for detecting vaginal infections. This is because any alteration in normal vaginal pH is an indicator of pathogenic and inflammatory changes in the vagina.
Flora chek® – Simple, point-of-care testing device that detects vaginal pH changes.
Flora – Chek®: Method of use
Data from Slide 11 of the source ppt
How to interpret color changes on the pH strip?
Data from Slide 12 of the source ppt
The existing options for managing vaginal infections have their own drawbacks
Antibiotic therapy for vaginal infections is the mainstay of treatment. However, it’s effectiveness has been hampered by growing antibiotic resistance. Hence, a simple tool like Florachek® that detects vaginal changes early, can go a long way in minimizing and optimizing antibiotic use.
Diagnostic vaginal culture kits are time consuming, allergenic and prone to contamination. Florachek® on the other hand, is quick, easy and safe.
Cosmeceutical and herbal vaginal washes might help only in the maintenance of normal pH but have little or no utility in curing vaginal infections or in restoring normal pH. In contrast to this, Florachek® can detect abnormal vaginal pH quickly, so that the right remedial measures can be exercised.
