Association between alcohol consumption levels and pelvic inflammatory disease: Findings from the NHANES 2013–2020

Abstract

Background and Aim

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a common and serious infection affecting women's reproductive health, which may result in severe consequences, such as infertility. This research is to investigate the association between alcohol consumption levels and the odds of PID prevalence, providing insights that could inform public health policies.

Methods and Results

The U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2013–2020 is the data source. Multivariate logistic regression analysis, trend analysis, and curve fitting were employed to examine the associations between alcohol consumption levels and the odds of PID prevalence. Regarding subgroup analysis, we utilized the stratified analysis and interaction test to investigate the robustness of this association. Compared with participants who never consumed alcohol, alcohol consumption increased the odds of PID prevalence. The odds of PID prevalence increased with the increase in the level of alcohol consumption. In the fully adjusted model, compared to non-drinkers, the odds ratios (OR) for PID were 1.89 (95% CI: 1.23–2.92) for mild drinkers, 1.94 (95% CI: 1.24–3.04) for moderate drinkers, and 2.01 (95% CI: 1.27–3.19) for heavy drinkers, indicating an increased prevalence of PID by 89, 94, and 101%, respectively. This association was consistently observed across the study population.

Conclusions

Alcohol consumption levels were positively related to the odds of PID prevalence among adult females in the United States. Our results indicate that reducing alcohol consumption and cultivating good living habits will likely help prevent PID in the general population.