Tampon Characteristics and Menstrual Toxic Shock Syndrome

Abstract

<h3>To the Editor.</h3> —In 1986, we reported the results of a retrospective study of the incidence of toxic shock syndrome (TSS) in men and women aged 15 to 34 years who were members of the Northern California Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program for the period from 1972 to 1983.¹We have continued to monitor TSS using medical record review and here report information on the incidence of TSS in 1984 and 1985 for this population. Our previous publication¹gave details of our study methods, which remained unchanged for the more recent study period. Definite TSS cases were illnesses that met the Centers for Disease Control case definition,²except that desquamation was not required and orthostatic hypotension was not considered sufficient evidence of decreased blood pressure. Possible TSS cases were illnesses that met these cri teria, but involved two instead of three organ systems. In the current analysis,