Pelvic inflammatory disease on the rise in Nigeria, experts

Me d i c a l p r a c t i t i o n e r s warn that pelvic inflammatory disease – an inflammation of the female genital tract, accompanied by fever and lower abdominal pain – is on the rise in Nigeria due to untreated sexually transmitted diseases, (STDs). Paul Ogoegbulem a medical practitioner in Abuja said the disease which affects millions of women each year is witnessing an uptick in the country as well as many other countries.

“PID, an infection of one or more pelvic organs that includes the uterus, cervix, and fallopian tubes is witnessing a surge because many people leave sexually transmitted diseases untreated for a long time,” Ogoegbulem said.

Medical experts say PID is significantly higher among women having sex with multiple partners and not using condoms, a practice that places them at greater risk for contracting STDs.

A recently published research by the Centre for Disease Control (CDC), also found that women who begun having sex before they were 12 years old were eight times more likely to develop the disease. Chlamydia and gonorrhea are the most commonly reported STDs in the United States, with about 1.5 million chlamydia and approximately 400,000 gonorrhea infections reported in 2015.

Kristen Kreisel , an epidemiologist with the division of STD Prevention at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Pelvic inflammatory disease tends to be a later “complication of having a prior sexually transmitted infection, and given that there are such high numbers of Chlamydia and gonorrhoea infections in the U.S., it means a lot of women are at risk,”

“Pelvic inflammatory disease can be treated, as well as the STDs that
caused it, but the structural damage that occurs because of PID is often irreversible, that’s why it’s important to stay on top of it.” Kreisel said.

When symptoms do appear, they may include abnormal vaginal discharge or a burning sensation during urination. Pelvic inflammatory disease symptoms may include persistent abdominal pain, fever, abnormal vaginal discharge, or pain or bleeding during sexual intercourse, Kreisel added. PID poses long-term hazards such as infertility, chronic pelvic pain and ectopic pregnancy.

Ectopic pregnancies occur when an embryo implants in the fallopian tube instead of the uterus. No single test can diagnose PID, so doctors often rely on symptom reporting. But PID often doesn’t cause symptoms, Kreisel explained. “That’s one of the scariest things because you may not know it’s even happening,” she said.

“Getting early treatment and follow-up care can cure pelvic inflammatory disease and keep it from causing further problems that can lead to infertility,” said Kreisel.

Doctors say douching significantly increases the risk of developing PID and other pelvic infections and is not recommended.