Minority women with sexually transmitted diseases: Sexual abuse and risk for pelvic inflammatory disease

Mexican American and African American women (N = 617) with a sexually trans mitted disease (STD) underwent a targeted physical exam and questioning reg arding sexual abuse, current genitourinary symptomatology, and pelvic infla mmatory disease (PID) risk behaviors to determine the relationship between sexual abuse and risk for PID. Sexually abused women (n = 194) reported hig her PID risk behaviors, including earlier coitus, more sex partners, higher STD recurrence, and a tendency toward delayed health-seeking behavior. The y also reported more severe genitourinary symptomatology, confirmed by phys ical exam, and presumptive diagnoses of PID. These characteristics identify sexually abused women at high risk for PID. Because of its considerable im pact on risk for PID, assessment for sexual abuse is essential in clinical management of women with STD and for diagnosis of PID. (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.