Intrauterine devices and acute pelvic inflammatory disease

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Abstract
One of the most serious problems among women using the intrauterine device (IUD) has been pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Subjects for the investigation were chosen from 15- to 44-yr-old women seeking emergency medical attention at a large city hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Febrile and afebrile patients with PID and appropriate controls were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire concerning their demographic, reproductive and contraceptive histories. Results showed a significantly higher proportion of IUD users among febrile cases of PID (38%) than among controls (11%). This implies that febrile PID is 5 times as likely to develop in an IUD user as in a nonuser.