Trends in pelvic inflammatory disease hospital discharges and ambulatory visits, United States, 1985-2001.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to describe the estimated trends in incidence of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) among reproductive-aged women in hospital and ambulatory settings.


METHODS
Analyses of PID estimates were performed. Three nationally representative surveys conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS): National Hospital Discharge Survey (NHDS), National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS), and National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS), were used to obtain the estimates of PID (defined by International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision codes). National Disease and Therapeutic Index (NDTI) estimates were reviewed for comparison.


RESULTS
Rates of hospitalized PID declined 68% overall from 1985 through 2001 (P <0.0001). Ambulatory data support a decrease in PID from 1985 to 2001. From 1995 to 2001, approximately 769,859 cases of acute and unspecified PID were diagnosed annually, 91% in ambulatory settings.


CONCLUSIONS
PID has decreased in hospital and ambulatory settings. The expanded national surveys in outpatient and emergency departments provide more complete estimates for PID. Optimal management of PID should target ambulatory settings, where the majority of cases are diagnosed and treated.
Sutton
Madeline Y
MY
Division of Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevention, National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia. zxa3@cdc.gov
Sternberg
Maya
M
Zaidi
Akbar
A
St Louis
Michael E
ME
Markowitz
Lauri E
LE
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006306:Health Surveys; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D009309:National Center for Health Statistics, U.S.; D009819:Office Visits / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000292:Pelvic Inflammatory Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology