Cervicitis

Estimates of the prevalence of cervicitis in the US range widely. Because cervicitis is not a reportable disease and clinical or diagnostic criteria are not fully standardized, published findings vary greatly, from 8% in university health clinics to as high as 40% of women attending sexually transmitted infection (STI) clinics.[2]Groetsch S. Cervicitis. Clin Fam Pract. 2005;7:43-56. In a study of sexually active, nonpregnant adolescent and young women in the military, rigorous testing with endocervical, urine, and vaginal swabs revealed a high incidence (up to 14%) of STIs in the population not seeking treatment for STIs.[3]Boyer CB, Shafer MB, Pollack LM, et al. Sociodemographic markers and behavioral correlates of STIs in a nonclinical sample of adolescent and young adult women. J Infect Dis. 2006 Aug 1;194(3):307-15. https://academic.oup.com/jid/article/194/3/307/900473 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16826478?tool=bestpractice.com

Chlamydial infection is the most commonly reported STI in the US, with 621.2 cases per 100,000 women reported in 2022 (a decrease from 628.8 cases per 100,000 women in 2021, possibly due to decreased screening during the COVID-19 pandemic).[4]Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sexually transmitted infections surveillance: national overview of STIs, 2022. Jan 2024 [internet publication]. https://www.cdc.gov/std/statistics/2022/overview.htm ​ In the US and UK, women ages 20 to 24 years have the highest rate of chlamydial infection, followed by women ages 15 to 19 years.[4]Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sexually transmitted infections surveillance: national overview of STIs, 2022. Jan 2024 [internet publication]. https://www.cdc.gov/std/statistics/2022/overview.htm ​​[5]Public Health England. Sexually transmitted infections (STIs): annual data tables. Oct 2022 [internet publication]. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/sexually-transmitted-infections-stis-annual-data-tables ​​ Black people in the US are approximately five times more likely than white people to be diagnosed with a chlamydial infection.[4]Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sexually transmitted infections surveillance: national overview of STIs, 2022. Jan 2024 [internet publication]. https://www.cdc.gov/std/statistics/2022/overview.htm ​ In the US, all cases of infection with chlamydia must now be reported.

Gonorrhea is the second most commonly reported STI in the US, with 152.1 cases per 100,000 women reported in 2022.[4]Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sexually transmitted infections surveillance: national overview of STIs, 2022. Jan 2024 [internet publication]. https://www.cdc.gov/std/statistics/2022/overview.htm The lowest rate of gonorrhea in the US was recorded in 2009 (98.1 cases per 100,000); over the past 10 years, gonorrhea rates in women have had a sustained increase (49.6% in total).[4]Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sexually transmitted infections surveillance: national overview of STIs, 2022. Jan 2024 [internet publication]. https://www.cdc.gov/std/statistics/2022/overview.htm ​ During 2021 to 2022, however, rates of reported gonorrhea decreased among both men (5.4%) and women (14.5%), although these years coincide with the COVID-19 pandemic, which introduced uncertainty and difficulty in interpreting STI surveillance data.[4]Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sexually transmitted infections surveillance: national overview of STIs, 2022. Jan 2024 [internet publication]. https://www.cdc.gov/std/statistics/2022/overview.htm

Rates are highest in women ages 20 to 24 years, with 715.1 cases per 100,000 women in this age group in the US and 232 cases per 100,000 women in England.[4]Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sexually transmitted infections surveillance: national overview of STIs, 2022. Jan 2024 [internet publication]. https://www.cdc.gov/std/statistics/2022/overview.htm ​​[5]Public Health England. Sexually transmitted infections (STIs): annual data tables. Oct 2022 [internet publication]. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/sexually-transmitted-infections-stis-annual-data-tables ​ In the US, women of black ancestry have a rate that remains higher than other races/ethnicities and is between seven and eight times higher than the rate in white women.[4]Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sexually transmitted infections surveillance: national overview of STIs, 2022. Jan 2024 [internet publication]. https://www.cdc.gov/std/statistics/2022/overview.htm ​​

The World Health Organization estimates that there are 374 million new infections globally per year (roughly 1 million per day) of the four curable STIs - chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and trichomoniasis. ​WHO: global progress report on HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections, 2021 Opens in new window​​