Cause of injury

Inflammatory changes in the cervix occur as a result of physical or chemical damage to the cervical mucosa. Inflammatory changes also occurs as result of cervical infection with a variety of microorganisms which may kill the cells directly or indirectly through toxins and enzymes.

Physical or chemical injury

Child birth
Abortion
Douching
Radiation
Laser ablation
Electrocautery

Infectious organisms

Viruses
- Herpes genitalis, cytomegalovirus, human papillomavirus
Bacteria
- Streptococci, staphylococci, chlamydial organisms, N gonorrhoea, M.tuberculosis, Actinomyces sp
Fungal agents
- Candida albicans,
Protozoa
- Trichomonas vaginalis, schistosoma s

Effects of injury

Injury to the cervical epithelium results in an inflammatory response which is charcterised by:

Localised damage to the epithelial cells characterised by degenerative changes to the cytoplasm of the cells and coagulative necrosis of the nuclei
Systemic changes in the underlying stroma (the inflammatory response). These involve:

hyperaemia of the papillary vessels
exudation of fluid into the surrounding tissue
migration of polymorphs to the site of infection or injury

These changes are non specific and occur regardless of the cause of the injury or infection and can be recognised in histological sections of non specific cervicitis.