Salpingoophoritis, or adnexitis, is a disease characterized by inflammatory processes in the uterine appendages.
Salpingoophoritis: causes
This is an infectious disease caused by viruses or protozoa (chlamydia, mycoplasmas, bacteroids, etc.) that enter the ovaries and fallopian tubes in various ways. The disease can affect only one or two appendages at once. In the latter case, doctors diagnose "bilateral salpingo-oophoritis". Most often, bacteria and viruses enter the appendages through the vagina during intercourse, childbirth, or therapeutic or diagnostic procedures. Also, the infection can be introduced from the abdominal cavity, for example, after a rupture of appendicitis, or through the vessels of the lymphatic or circulatory system in diseases such as tonsillitis or tuberculosis.
In most cases, microorganisms (50-80%) become the cause of the development of the disease: mycoplasmas, E. coli, chlamydia, gonococci, aerobic streptococci. Most often (in 70% of cases), the symptoms of salpingo-oophoritis occur in women under 25 years of age. For risk factorsthis disease can be attributed to:
- bad habits;
- frequent changes of sexual partner;
- use of intrauterine caps;
- wearing too tight underwear;
- frequent stress;
- physical and mental overstrain;
- hypothermia;
- presence of other chronic diseases;
- sexual intercourse during menstruation.
The disease can occur in both acute and chronic forms. At the same time, in almost 20% of cases, the disease causes infertility. In addition, it increases the risk of an ectopic pregnancy in a woman by 6-10 times. The reason for this is the obstruction of the fallopian tubes, caused by the formation of adhesions in them or in the ovaries.
Common symptoms of salpingo-oophoritis:
- increased body temperature;
- headaches;
- drowsy;
- sluggishness;
- a flu-like condition that, however, does not have any respiratory symptoms.
As mentioned earlier, this disease has an acute and chronic form. Tellingly, the symptoms of both are very similar, differing only in severity. However, there are some differences.
Symptoms of acute salpingo-oophoritis
The main symptom of this disease is throbbing, bursting or stabbing pain in the lower abdomen. In chronic salpingo-oophoritis, the general signs described above are more pronounced, including a sudden increase in body temperature to 38-39degrees. Blood tests indicate changes in the leukocyte formula and an unreasonable increase in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate.
Symptoms of chronic salpingo-oophoritis
Manifestations of chronic salpingo-oophoritis are more blurred. Even the pain in the lower abdomen does not have a specific localization, giving simultaneously to the vagina, groin or sacrum. Often there are discharges of various etiologies. In the period between exacerbations, the disease manifests itself in various menstrual irregularities: irregularity, changes in the amount and nature of discharge, pain.
