Hospitalizations for pelvic inflammatory disease. Epidemiology and trends in the United States, 1975 to 1981

Abstract

To assess trends in hospitalizations for pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) in the USA for 1975 through 1981, data were analyzed from the Hospital Discharge Survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics. Overall, both the estimated number and rate of hospitalization for PID among women aged 15-44 yr rose sligtly. For the 7-yr period, an estimated average of 267,200 women were hospitalized annually for PID, with hospitalization rates averaging 5.3/1000 women. Risk of hospitalization for PID was greatest among women in their 20s. Divorced or separated women were considerably more likely to have been hospitalized than single or married women. Although nonwhite women had estimated average rate 2.5 times higher than for white women, the trend of hospitalizations for PID among nonwhite women appeared relatively stable while the trend among young white women showed measurable increases.