Risk factors of pelvic inflammatory disease: A prospective study

Abstract

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is an ascending infection in which pathogenic micro-organisms spread from the lower genital tract to the upper genital tract of females. It is a disease that affects young, sexually active, reproductive-age women. Exact estimates of the incidence and prevalence of PID are unclear largely because PID is not a reportable disease. Knowledge of pelvic Inflammatory disease and its epidemiology is essential to understand reproductive morbidity in women. This study analyzes the effect of demographic factors and risk factors in pelvic inflammatory disease on women in their reproductive age. This is a prospective study in which 200 patients presenting with definitive diagnosis of pelvic inflammatory disease or presenting with clinical features suggestive of PID and later on diagnosed as acute pelvic infection were included in the study. Their demographic and epidemiological data were recorded. The highest number of women was observed in age group of 25-29 yrs. Maximum number of women were illiterate, belonged to the middle income group and were Muslims. All of them presented with heterosexual orientation and maximum number of females was using barrier methods for contraception. Most of the females in the study were found to be multiparous and all of them confirmed involvement with single partner only, however their husbands replied involvement with more than one partner.