Pelvic inflammatory disease and causative pathogens in older women in a medical center in eastern Taiwan: A retrospective cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES: Most research into the management of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is in younger women and focuses on sexually transmitted pathogens such as N. gonorrhoeae or C. trachomatis. Non-sexually transmitted bacterial pathogens and PID in older women are rarely examined. The objective of this study is to explore cervical culture pathogens in women of different age groups in a medical center in eastern Taiwan. METHODS: We enrolled patients whose medical records were diagnosed with PID (ICD-9-CM 614.0 [N70.01–03], 614.1[N70.11–13], 614.9 [N73.5, N73.9]) at our hospital from October 2014 to March 2020. Patients were divided into three groups according to age: the age <25 years, age 25–44 years, and the ≥ 45 years group. Chi-square test, ANOVA and logistic regression were used for statistical analysis. In subgroup analysis, endocervical pathogens were further stratified into vaginal, respiratory, enteric, skin, oral, and other. RESULTS: A total of 96 patients were included in the study. There were 31 patients in the age ≥ 45 years group, 52 patients in the age 25–44 years group, and 13 patients in the age <25 years group. Vagina and enteric pathogens were the most common pathogens among all groups. The isolated respiratory and other pathogens were more in the age ≥ 45 years group than in the other two groups. Prevotella bivia was more common in the age <25 years and 25–44 years groups. CONCLUSIONS: This may be due to different pathogeneses of PID in the age ≥ 45 years patients. Our study can be used as a reference for antibiotic choice of non-sexually transmitted PID and to prevent long-term sequelae of PID.