title: The age distribution, rates, and types of surgery for pelvic organ prolapse in the USA.
abstract: The objective of this study was to describe the distribution of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) surgery across age groups in the USA in 2003. Patients were grouped into four age categories: Reproductive age, perimenopausal, postmenopausal, and elderly. Data from the 2003 National Hospital Discharge Survey and National Census were used to estimate surgical rates by age group. In 2003, 199,698 women underwent a total of 311,587 surgical procedures for POP. Prolapse surgical rates (per 10,000 women) were 7, 24, 31, and 17 in reproductive age, perimenopausal, postmenopausal, and elderly age groups, respectively. Surgical complications occurred in 28.8, 19.6, 18.6, and 22.1% of women in these age groups, respectively. Mortality was uncommon. Although often considered a condition of the elderly, this study suggests that pelvic organ prolapse is a condition affecting women across the reproductive life cycle and for which women of all ages seek surgical treatment.
authors: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Urogynecology, Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA. aparnadiwan@yahoo.com
authors: Aparna D
authors: AD
authors: Shah
authors: Neeraj
authors: N
authors: Kohli
authors: Sujatha S
authors: SS
authors: Rajan
authors: Lennox
authors: L
authors: Hoyte
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate / Q000639:trends; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D013519:Urogenital Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014596:Uterine Prolapse / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery