Acute pelvic inflammatory disease, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2002-2011

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) refers to a group of inflammatory disorders of the female upper genital tract caused by the spread from the lower genital tract of Chlamydia trachomatis and other organisms. PID can cause chronic pelvic pain, fallopian tube damage, infertility and ectopic pregnancy. Between January 2002 and December 2011, 16,817 female service members met the surveillance case definition for acute PID. Incidence rates were stable at approximately 8 per 1,000 person-years overall and 11 per 1,000 person-years among known high-risk sub-populations (i.e., women 17-24 years old, in the Army, and of black, non-Hispanic race/ethnicity). Twenty-six women were diagnosed with PID within 10 days after medical evacuation from Iraq/Afghanistan. The proportion of servicewomen diagnosed with infertility subsequent to an incident diagnosis of acute PID increased during the period. Rates of PID are higher in the Army than the other Services. This may reflect differences in Service policies for chlamydia screening of new accessions.