Immune deviation in recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis: correlation with iron deficiency anemia.

Background: Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA) has been controversially linked to IL-4 production in previous studies. A predominant Th1 response leads to resistance against recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (RVVC), whereas a Th2 response exacerbates the disease.

Objective: To investigate the possible effect of iron deficiency on the host's susceptibility to RVVC as a result of the Th1/Th2 cytokine polarization.