Review

Authors: Amy Curry, Tracy Williams, Melissa L Penny...

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is an infection of the upper genital tract occurring predominantly in sexually active young women. Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae are common causes; however, other cervical, enteric, bacterial vaginosis-associated, and respiratory pathogens, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, may be involved. PID can be acute, chronic, or subclinical and is often underdiagnosed. Untreated PID can lead to chronic pelvic pain, infertility, ectopic pregnancy, and intra-abdominal infections. The diagnosis is made primarily on clinical suspicion, and empiric treatment is recommended in sexually active young women or women at risk for sexually transmitted infections who have unexplained lower abdominal or pelvic pain and cervical motion, uterine, or adnexal tenderness on examination. Mild to moderate disease can be treated in an outpatient setting with a single intramuscular injection of a recommended cephalosporin followed by oral doxycycline for 14 days. Additionally, metronidazole is recommended for 14 days in the setting of bacterial vaginosis, trichomoniasis, or recent uterine instrumentation. Hospitalization for parenteral antibiotics is recommended in patients who are pregnant or severely ill, in whom outpatient treatment has failed, those with tubo-ovarian abscess, or if surgical emergencies cannot be excluded. Treatment does not change in patients with intrauterine devices or those with HIV. Sex partner treatment is recommended; expedited partner treatment is recommended where legal. Prevention of PID includes screening for C. trachomatis and N. gonorrhoeae in all women younger than 25 years and those who are at risk or pregnant, plus intensive behavioral counseling for all adolescents and adults at increased risk of sexually transmitted infections.

Topics: Diagnosis, Differential; Female; Humans; Pelvic Inflammatory Disease; Risk Factors; Severity of Illness Index; Sexually Transmitted Diseases

PubMed: 31524362
DOI: No ID Found

Review

Authors: Jacques Ravel, Inmaculada Moreno, Carlos Simón...

Bacterial vaginosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, and endometritis are infections of the genital tract that can lead to many adverse health outcomes, including infertility. Bacterial vaginosis is characterized by a lower prevalence of lactobacilli and a higher prevalence of anaerobic bacteria, including Gardnerella vaginalis, Megasphaera spp., and Atopobium vaginae. Endometritis and pelvic inflammatory disease are caused by the ascension of pathogenic bacteria to the uterus, although the mechanisms by which they do so are unclear. Bacterial vaginosis, chronic endometritis, and pelvic inflammatory disease have been linked to infertility in retrospective and prospective trials. Similarly, the causes of bacterial vaginosis and endometritis-related infertility are likely multifactorial and stem from inflammation, immune targeting of sperm antigens, the presence of bacterial toxins, and increased risk of sexually transmitted infections. Diagnosis and treatment of bacterial vaginosis, chronic endometritis, and pelvic inflammatory disease before attempting conception may be important components of preconceptional care for symptomatic women to improve outcomes of natural and assisted reproduction.

Topics: Endometritis; Female; Humans; Infertility, Female; Pelvic Inflammatory Disease; Vaginosis, Bacterial

PubMed: 33091407
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2020.10.019

Authors: Sarah Hunt, Beverley Vollenhoven

BACKGROUND

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a major cause of morbidity and reproductive difficulty in women of childbearing age.

OBJECTIVE

This article outlines the pathogenesis, clinical evaluation and management of PID with a focus on the management of long-term fertility-related sequelae.

DISCUSSION

The clinical presentation of PID can be variable and clinicians need to have a low threshold for suspecting the diagnosis. Despite a good clinical response to antimicrobials, the risk of long-term complications is high. Therefore, a history of PID would warrant early review in couples planning conception for further evaluation and discussion of the various modalities available for treatment if spontaneous conception does not occur.

Topics: Female; Humans; Pelvic Inflammatory Disease; Infertility; Fertility

PubMed: 37021447
DOI: 10.31128/AJGP-09-22-6576

Review

Authors: Toni Darville

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) results from ascension of sexually transmitted pathogens from the lower genital tract to the uterus and/or fallopian tubes in women, with potential spread to neighboring pelvic organs. Patients may present acutely with lower abdominal or pelvic pain and pelvic organ tenderness. Many have subtle symptoms or are asymptomatic and present later with tubal factor infertility, ectopic pregnancy, or chronic pelvic pain. Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis are the 2 most commonly recognized PID pathogens. Their ability to survive within host epithelial cells and neutrophils highlights a need for T-cell-mediated production of interferon γ in protection. Data indicate that for both pathogens, antibody can accelerate clearance by enhancing opsonophagocytosis and bacterial killing when interferon γ is present. A study of women with N. gonorrhoeae- and/or C. trachomatis-induced PID with histologic endometritis revealed activation of myeloid cell, cell death, and innate inflammatory pathways in conjunction with dampening of T-cell activation pathways. These findings are supported by multiple studies in mouse models of monoinfection with N. gonorrhoeae or Chlamydia spp. Both pathogens exert multiple mechanisms of immune evasion that benefit themselves and each other at the expense of the host. However, similarities in host immune mechanisms that defend against these 2 bacterial pathogens instill optimism for the prospects of a combined vaccine for prevention of PID and infections in both women and men.

Topics: Chlamydia Infections; Chlamydia trachomatis; Female; Gonorrhea; Humans; Immune Evasion; Interferon-gamma; Neisseria gonorrhoeae; Pelvic Inflammatory Disease; Pelvic Pain; Pregnancy

PubMed: 34396413
DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiab031

Review

Authors: Sharon L Hillier, Kyle T Bernstein, Sevgi Aral...

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a syndrome that causes substantial morbidity, including chronic pelvic pain, to women globally. While limited data are available from low- and middle-income countries, national databases from the United States and Europe suggest that PID incidence may be decreasing but the rate of decrease may differ by the etiologic cause. Recent studies of women with PID have reported that fewer than half of women receiving a diagnosis of PID have gonococcal or chlamydial infection, while Mycoplasma genitalium, respiratory pathogens, and the constellation of bacteria associated with bacterial vaginosis may account for a substantial fraction of PID cases. The clinical diagnosis of PID is nonspecific, creating an urgent need to develop noninvasive tests to diagnose PID. Advances in serologic testing for Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae could advance epidemiologic studies, while the development of vaccines against these sexually transmitted pathogens could affect incident PID and associated morbidity.

Topics: Chlamydia Infections; Chlamydia trachomatis; Female; Gonorrhea; Humans; Incidence; Neisseria gonorrhoeae; Pelvic Inflammatory Disease; United States

PubMed: 34396398
DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiab116

Review

Authors: Caroline Mitchell, Malavika Prabhu

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is characterized by infection and inflammation of the upper genital tract in women and can cause significant reproductive health sequelae for women. Although a definitive diagnosis of PID is made by laparoscopic visualization of inflamed, purulent fallopian tubes, PID is generally a clinical diagnosis and thus represents a diagnostic challenge. Therefore, diagnosis and treatment algorithms advise a high index of suspicion for PID in any woman of reproductive age with pelvic or abdominal pain. Antibiotic therapy should be started early, and given for an adequate period of time to reduce the risk of complications. Coverage for anaerobic organisms should be considered in most cases.

Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacterial Infections; Early Diagnosis; Female; Humans; Pelvic Inflammatory Disease; Sexually Transmitted Diseases

PubMed: 24275271
DOI: 10.1016/j.idc.2013.08.004

Authors: Caroline M Mitchell, Gloria E Anyalechi, Craig R Cohen...

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a clinical syndrome that has been associated with a wide range of potential causal pathogens. Three broad groups of organisms have been isolated from the genital tract of people with PID: sexually transmitted organisms such as Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, Mycoplasma genitalium, and Trichomonas vaginalis; bacterial vaginosis (BV)-associated species and genera such as Atopobium vaginae, Sneathia, and Megasphaera; and genera and species usually associated with the gastrointestinal or respiratory tracts such as Bacteroides, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus, or Haemophilus influenza. Although PID is often considered to be synonymous with gonorrhea or chlamydia, these pathogens are found in only one quarter to one third of people with PID, suggesting that broader screening and diagnostic and treatment strategies need to be considered to reduce the burden of PID and its associated sequelae.

Topics: Chlamydia Infections; Chlamydia trachomatis; Female; Gonorrhea; Humans; Mycoplasma Infections; Mycoplasma genitalium; Neisseria gonorrhoeae; Pelvic Inflammatory Disease; Sexually Transmitted Diseases; Vagina

PubMed: 34396407
DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiab067

Review

Authors: A Charvériat, X Fritel

The objective of this literature review is to update the recommendations for clinical practice about the diagnosis of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), microbiologic diagnosis excluded. An adnexal pain or cervical motion tenderness are the signs that allow a positive diagnosis of PID (LE2). Associated signs (fever, leucorrhoea, metrorrhagia) reinforce clinical diagnosis (LE2). In a woman consulting for symptoms compatible with PID, a pelvic clinical examination is recommended (grade B). In cases of suspected PID, hyperleukocytosis associated with a high C-reactive protein suggests a complicated PID or a differential diagnosis such as acute appendicitis (LE3). The absence of hyperleukocytosis or normal CRP does not rule out the diagnosis of PID (LE1). When PID is suspected, a blood test with a blood count and a CRP test is recommended (grade C). Pelvic ultrasound scan does not contribute to the positive diagnosis of uncomplicated PID because it is insensitive and unspecific (LE3). However, ultrasound scan is recommended to look for signs of complicated PID (polymorphic collection) or differential diagnosis (grade C). Waiting for an ultrasound scan to be performed should not delay the start-up of antibiotic therapy. In case of diagnostic uncertainty, an abdominal-pelvic CT scan with contrast injection is useful for differential diagnosis of urinary, digestive or gynaecological origin (LE2). Laparoscopy is not recommended for the unique purpose of the positive diagnosis of PID (grade B).

Topics: Appendicitis; Blood Cell Count; C-Reactive Protein; Diagnosis, Differential; Female; Humans; Laparoscopy; Leukocytosis; Pelvic Inflammatory Disease; Pelvic Pain; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Ultrasonography

PubMed: 30878687
DOI: 10.1016/j.gofs.2019.03.010

Authors: Ae Ra Han, Suehyun Lee, Jaehun Cha...

Endometriosis is a multifactorial disease, and inflammation is considered a core pathology. Inflammation related to genital tract infection (GTI) and surgical injury may cause endometriosis. Therefore, we investigated the incidence of endometriosis in women with a recent history of GTI, pelvic surgery, or both. Using the Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort, 20- to 49-year-old women diagnosed with GTI or who underwent pelvic surgeries between 2002 and 2008 were collected and followed up for five years. After excluding women who had already been diagnosed with endometriosis or diseases that may affect endometriosis, a total of 30,336 women were diagnosed with GTI (Study 1), 2894 women who underwent pelvic surgery (Study 2), and 788 women who underwent GTI and pelvic surgery, both (Study 3) were enrolled for each study. The comparison groups in which sociodemographic factors matched for each group were collected. The incidence of endometriosis per 1000 person-year was 5.37, 5.17, and 20.81 in each case group and was significantly higher than each comparison group. A recent history of GTI increased an adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) of 2.29 (1.99-2.63, 95% confidence interval) for the development of endometriosis. The aHRs of pelvic surgery history and the history of both GTI and pelvic surgery were 2.10 and 7.82, respectively. In conclusion, the pelvic inflammation resulting from genital infection and pelvic surgical injury may play a role in developing endometriosis. Active treatment of genital infections and careful surgical procedures to minimize tissue injury may reduce the incidence of pelvic endometriosis.

Topics: Female; Humans; Young Adult; Adult; Middle Aged; Endometriosis; Reproductive Tract Infections; Pelvic Inflammatory Disease; Inflammation

PubMed: 36841045
DOI: 10.1016/j.jri.2023.103831

Authors: Danilo Coco, Silvana Leanza

Topics: Female; Humans; Pelvic Inflammatory Disease; Hepatitis; Peritonitis

PubMed: 36785689
DOI: 10.11604/pamj.2022.43.142.30703