Cervicitis

Excerpt

Cervicitis is a clinical syndrome characterized by inflammation of primarily the columnar epithelium of the uterine endocervix. It can be acute or chronic, with acute having infectious causes, and chronic having mostly non-infectious sources. The clinical spectrum of the disease varies widely, from asymptomatic cases to patients with mucopurulent cervical discharge and systemic signs. Any of these cases has the potential to develop devastating complications like pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), irrespective of the initial presentation. It is, therefore, very important for the clinician to recognize the symptoms, investigate and reach a diagnosis promptly, and initiate effective treatment immediately.