Chronic Pelvic Pain After Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

University Of Pittsburgh At Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID), is the general term to describe clinically suspected infection of the upper pelvic tract. PID is associated with a number of morbidities, including chronic pelvic pain. However, very little is known about the etiology or consequences of chronic pelvic pain following PID. The proposed research will analyze data from an ongoing randomized clinical trial, the PID Evaluation and Clinical Health (PEACH) Study. Additionally, outpatient, emergency department, and hospital medical records will be collected and abstracted to determine PID-relatedness and primary visit diagnosis. For all PID-related visits for which medical records are obtained, billing records will also be gathered. The specific aims of this project are: 1) to examine predictors of chronic pelvic pain following an episode of PID; 2) to determine whether women with chronic pelvic pain are more likely to use the healthcare system than those without, to determine whether they use it more intensely, and to determine whether use varies with the grade of pain intensity and disability; 3) to estimate the total cost of medical care for women following PID and to determine whether the costs are higher for women with chronic pelvic pain; 4) and to determine the impact of chronic pelvic pain following pelvic inflammatory disease on quality of life.