Resumo

• Cervicitis is common and often asymptomatic, but if left undiagnosed or untreated can result in substantial long-term ill effects such as infertility and chronic pelvic pain.
• Implementing screening protocols for high-risk populations may reduce adverse outcomes from cervicitis. Screening for other STDs should be offered concomitantly.
• While Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis are the most commonly isolated organisms, in most cases no organism is identified.
• Clinical suspicion is generally sufficient to justify therapy, but of the diagnostic aids, nucleic acid amplification (NAAT) remains the most sensitive and specific tool for accurately diagnosing N gonorrhoeae and C trachomatis.
• If the presentation suggests cervicitis, and the patient is deemed at high risk for STD, patients are empirically treated with a regimen targeting STDs.