Purpose
Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is common among middle-aged and older women and its medical burden will increase with aging of the population. In addition to risk factors such as age, parity, vaginal delivery, and body mass index (BMI), we analyzed the impact of educational level on POP.
Methods
We included 993 adult female patients with "vaginal prolapse" as the main complaint in the gynecological clinic of the Third Hospital of Peking University from January 2017 to December 2020. Patients were divided into four groups according to educational level: A (primary school and below), B (junior middle school), C (senior high school). and D (university and above). The epidemiological data of each group were analyzed and compared.
Results
The mean age of patients was 63.4 ± 13.4 years, and mean BMI was 24.4 ± 3.1 kg/m2. Age, BMI, parity, the number of high-risk factors, and years since onset were significantly higher in group A than in other groups. BMI, parity, and the number of high-risk factors in group D were significantly lower than those in other groups. No significant difference was found in the distribution of patients in each group over the past 4 years.
Conclusions
Patients with low education levels were older than those with medium and higher education levels and they had higher BMI, more vaginal delivery, more POP high-risk factors, and a longer time from onset to treatment. Greater attention is needed in this patient population to prevent and treat POP.
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