Sexually transmitted diseases and human immunodeficiency virus infection among women with pelvic inflammatory disease

Article Abstract:

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), bacterial infection of the female reproductive organs and pelvic structures, is a serious illness and is most common among young women, those with multiple sexual partners and those of low socioeconomic status. The same groups of women are currently developing higher rates of infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Thus, it is possible that women diagnosed with PID may more frequently be infected with HIV as well. The prevalence of HIV infection among 110 women with PID was assessed. The severity of PID was assessed as well, as HIV infection has been found to be associated with an increased severity of STDs. Fifteen women were positive for HIV, and heterosexual transmission of the infection was likely in nine. Intravenous drug use was an important risk factor as well. Women who had more severe PID, represented by abscesses, were twice as likely to be HIV-positive. White blood cells, important in fighting infections, were significantly lower in HIV-infected women, and this is probably an effect of the virus. A greater proportion of the HIV-infected women than uninfected women required surgery, although this was not a significant difference. Prevalence of STDs did not differ between HIV-infected and uninfected women, although infected women tended to have a higher rate of syphilis. The study suggests that women with PID who are from communities where HIV is common are at high risk for HIV infection and may tend to have more serious PID. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Sexually transmitted diseases, Demographic aspects

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The relationship of vaginal trichomoniasis and pelvic inflammatory disease among women colonized with Chlamydia trachomatis

Article Abstract:

Women infected with both Chlamydia trachomatis and Trichomonas vaginalis may be at greater risk of developing pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) than women with C. trachomatis alone. C. trachomatis is the most common sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by bacteria. T. vaginalis is another bacterial STD and is thought to transmit bacterial infection from the lower genital tract to the upper genital tract, resulting in PID. Researchers compared 24 women with C. trachomatis and PID to 47 women with C. trachomatis alone. Women with PID were much more likely to be infected with T. vaginalis than were women without PID. Women with PID were younger and were twice as likely to use douches as those without PID.

Chlamydia trachomatis, Trichomoniasis

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A longitudinal study of human papillomavirus carriage in human immunodeficiency virus-infected and human immunodeficiency virus-uninfected women

Article Abstract:

HIV-infected women are more likely to be infected with human papillomavirus or to become infected with the virus than HIV-negative women. Researchers tested samples of cervical mucus from 268 HIV-infected women and 265 HIV-negative women for human papillomavirus DNA every six months. At the start, 73% of the HIV-infected women tested positive for human papillomavirus compared to 43% of the HIV-negative women. During the follow-up period, HIV-infected women who tested negative were six times more likely to become infected than HIV-negative women who tested negative.

HIV patients, Papillomavirus infections

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