PELVIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASE

Pelvic inflammatory disease refers to infection of the uterus, fallopian tubes, and adjacent pelvic structures that is not associated with surgery or pregnancy. It is also known as salpingitis. This is an important infection, particularly among disadvantaged women from urban areas. An estimated 1 million American women have pelvic inflammatory disease each year. Long-term sequelae such as infertility occur in about 25 percent1–3. The direct and indirect costs of the disease and its complications were estimated to exceed $4 billion in 19904. Etiology and Pathogenesis Pelvic inflammatory disease is almost always an ascending infection in which pathogenic… © 1994, Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.