Epidemiology and sexually transmitted infections
In sexually active females one of the causes of PID
is chlamydia and/or gonorrhoea, which are bacterial
sexually transmitted infections (STIs). PHE identified
that in 2013 there were 15 758 diagnoses of PID
in England; 87.8% (n=13 834) from non-specific
causes; 10.2% (n=1601) related to chlamydia and a
further 2.1% (n=323) to gonorrhoea (PHE, 2014).
A literature review by Holmes et al (2008) identified
that between 10–19% of females with gonorrhoea
in the cervix had clinical signs of PID, as did 10% of
those with chlamydia. However, when comparing PID
rates with these infections in 2013, it was identified
that the PID co-infected patients only accounted for
3.3% of genito-urinary (GU) diagnosed chlamydia
(1601/48 020) and 4.2% of gonorrhoea (323/7637)
diagnoses in females for that year (PHE, 2014).
Therefore, patients diagnosed with either of these
STIs should be reassured that although there is a risk
of developing PID, it is not expected in the majority
of cases.
When reviewing trends in PID over the last
10 years, an overall increase of 6.8% (n=1006) can
be seen between 2004 and 2013; however, there has