Incidence of pelvic inflammatory disease in a large cohort of women tested for Chlamydia trachomatis: a historical follow-up study
Journal article, Peer reviewed
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http://hdl.handle.net/11250/2358180Utgivelsesdato
2009Metadata
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Sammendrag
Background: Chlamydia trachomatis is a highly prevalent sexually transmitted disease. Testing rates
among young Norwegian women are high. Young women diagnosed with C. trachomatis are often
worried about future complications.
Methods: Our cohort consisted of 24,947 women born 1970–1984 who were tested for C.
trachomatis infection during 1990–2005. We linked C. trachomatis laboratory data to data on
hospitalizations for pelvic inflammatory disease during 1990–2005. Cox regression analysis with
time-dependent covariates adjusted for age at first test was used to assess the association between
C. trachomatis history and pelvic inflammatory disease.
Results: Follow-up until the end of 2005 included 201,387 woman-years. The incidence rate of
hospitalization for pelvic inflammatory disease was higher among women with prior C. trachomatis
infection than among women with negative tests only (48 events during 32,057 person-years and
143 events during 169,192 person-years, corresponding to 0.15 and 0.08 per 100 person-years,
respectively). The corresponding hazard ratio adjusted for age at first test was 1.69 (95% CI, 1.21–
2.36).
Conclusion: Our data show a link between a diagnosis of C. trachomatis infection and subsequent
pelvic inflammatory disease. However, pelvic inflammatory disease was a rare event irrespective of
C. trachomatis status. These, together with other recent findings, can be used to reassure women
worried about their future reproductive health following a diagnosis of C. trachomatis.