Association between myocardial infarction and patients with pelvic inflammatory disease

Abstract

We thank Dr. Cheong for his suggestions for our articles [ 1 Liou T.H. Wu C.W. Hao W.R. Hsu M.I. Liu J.C. Lin H.W. Risk of myocardial infarction in women with pelvic inflammatory disease. Int J Cardiol. Jan 20 2012; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcard.2012.01.006 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (3) Google Scholar , 2 Cheong K.M. Pelvic inflammatory disease and myocardial infarction. Int J Cardiol. 2012; 158: 463 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (1) Google Scholar ]. The original ideal in previous publication was to evaluate the relationship between female genital tract infection and risk of myocardial infarction (MI), therefore, studied populations contained all female with genital tract infection (ICD-9-CM codes 614 and 615 refer to the inflammatory disease of the ovary, fallopian tube, pelvic cellular tissue, peritoneum, and uterus; however, ICD-9-CM code 616 refers to the inflammatory disease of the cervix, vagina, and vulva). Actually, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is difficult to define as well as to diagnose [ [3] French C.E. Hughes G. Nicholson A. et al. Estimation of the rate of pelvic inflammatory disease diagnoses: trends in England, 2000–2008. Sex Transm Dis. Mar 2011; 38: 158-162 Crossref PubMed Scopus (50) Google Scholar ]. PID comprises a range of upper genital tract inflammatory disorders in women that usually result from microorganisms ascending from the cervix to the upper genital tract [ [3] French C.E. Hughes G. Nicholson A. et al. Estimation of the rate of pelvic inflammatory disease diagnoses: trends in England, 2000–2008. Sex Transm Dis. Mar 2011; 38: 158-162 Crossref PubMed Scopus (50) Google Scholar ]. PID can result in a wide range of symptoms and no sign or symptom in pathognomonic for the disease [ [3] French C.E. Hughes G. Nicholson A. et al. Estimation of the rate of pelvic inflammatory disease diagnoses: trends in England, 2000–2008. Sex Transm Dis. Mar 2011; 38: 158-162 Crossref PubMed Scopus (50) Google Scholar ]. Subclinical, mild, acute, chronic PID, tubo-ovarian abscess (TOA) were used to describe various types of PID. The prevalence of PID would depend on the diagnostic criteria applied. Although subclinical PID is common among women with lower genital tract infections [ [4] Wiesenfeld H.C. Hillier S.L. Krohn M.A. et al. Lower genital tract infection and endometritis: insight into subclinical pelvic inflammatory disease. Obstet Gynecol. Sep 2002; 100: 456-463 Crossref PubMed Scopus (246) Google Scholar ], the upper genital tract (uterus, fallopian tube, ovary) should be involved in cases of definite PID diagnosed. We are sorry to cause confusion with the loose inclusion criteria of PID in this study.