Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) refers to infection of the uterus, fallopian tubes and other pelvic structures. It occurs when bacteria or other organisms ascend from the vagina or cervix to the upper genital tract.
PID affects approximately 1 million women in the US every year and accounts for 250,000-300,000 hospitalizations. These numbers are actually thought to be significantly higher because of the many cases that cause no symptoms or are not recognized as PID ("silent" or "sub-clinical").
PID is the leading cause of infertility in women. Approximately 13% of women become infertile after a single episode of PID. The risk of infertility doubles with each subsequent episode. Women with a history of PID have a seven to tenfold increased risk for ectopic (tubal) pregnancy.
Education regarding safe sexual practices is key to the ultimate goal of preventing sexually transmitted disease and PID. Recognition of symptoms, however mild, is important to prompt early evaluation and treatment of early or mild cases that might otherwise go undetected.
Once PID has occurred, early treatment with antibiotics to minimize severity and complications is critical. Long term sequelae such as infertility are evaluated and managed as appropriate.
This MediFocus Guide contains an extensive listing of citations and abstracts of recent journal articles that have been published about this condition in trustworthy medical journals. This is the same type of information that is available to physicians and other health care professionals. A partial selection of journal articles that are abstracted in this MediFocus Guide includes:
PID: a chance to make a difference. Practitioner. 2000
Pelvic inflammatory disease epidemiology: what do we know and what do we need to know?. Sexually Transmitted Infections. 2000
Pelvic inflammatory disease--an evidence-based approach to diagnosis. Journal of Infection. 2000
Pelvic inflammatory disease after tubal sterilization: a review. Obstetrical & Gynecological Survey. 2000
Pelvic inflammatory disease in the postmenopausal woman. Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics & Gynecology. 1999
Pelvic inflammatory disease in adolescents. Pediatric Clinics of North America. 1999
Anaerobes in pelvic inflammatory disease: implications for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's guidelines for treatment of sexually transmitted diseases. Clinical Infectious Diseases. 1999
Pelvic inflammatory disease. From diagnosis to prevention. Dermatologic Clinics. 1998
Pelvic inflammatory disease: the importance of aggressive treatment in adolescents. Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine. 1998
Pelvic inflammatory disease. Lippincott's Primary Care Practice. 1998
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