Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Jul 22:8:73.
doi: 10.1186/1477-7525-8-73.

Do urinary tract infections affect morale among very old women?

Irene Eriksson  1 , Yngve Gustafson, Lisbeth Fagerström, Birgitta Olofsson
Affiliations

Do urinary tract infections affect morale among very old women?

Irene Eriksson et al. Health Qual Life Outcomes. .

Abstract

Background: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is among the most common bacterial infections in women of all ages but the incidence increases with older age. Despite the fact that UTI is a common problem it is still poorly investigated regarding its connection with experienced health and morale. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of a diagnosed, symptomatic urinary tract infection (UTI) with or without ongoing treatment on morale or subjective wellbeing among very old women.

Methods: In a cross-sectional, population-based study, 504 women aged 85 years and older (range 84-104) were evaluated for ongoing UTI. Of these, 319 (63.3%), were able to answer the questions on the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale (PGCMS) which was used to assess morale or subjective wellbeing.

Results: In the present study sample of 319 women, 46 (14.4%) were diagnosed as having had a UTI with or without ongoing treatment when they were assessed. Women with UTI with or without ongoing treatment had significantly lower PGCMS scores (10.4 vs 11.9, p = 0.003) than those without UTI, indicating a significant impact on morale or subjective wellbeing among very old women. Depression (p < 0.001), UTI (p = 0.014) and constipation (p = 0.018) were the medical diagnoses significantly and independently associated with low morale in a multivariate regression model.

Conclusions: As UTI seems to be independently associated with low morale or poor subjective wellbeing, there needs to be more focus on prevention, diagnosis and treatment of UTI in old women.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of the study population.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Eriksson I, Gustafson Y, Fagerstrom L, Olofsson B. Prevalence and factors associated with urinary tract infections (UTIs) in very old women. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2010;50(2):132–135. doi: 10.1016/j.archger.2009.02.013. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Foxman B. Epidemiology of urinary tract infections: incidence, morbidity, and economic costs. Am J Med. 2002;113(Suppl 1A):5S–13S. doi: 10.1016/S0002-9343(02)01054-9. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Harrington RD, Hooton TM. Urinary tract infection risk factors and gender. J Gend Specif Med. 2000;3(8):27–34. - PubMed
    1. Molander U, Arvidsson L, Milsom I, Sandberg T. A longitudinal cohort study of elderly women with urinary tract infections. Maturitas. 2000;34(2):127–131. doi: 10.1016/S0378-5122(99)00102-4. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hu KK, Boyko EJ, Scholes D, Normand E, Chen CL, Grafton J, Fihn SD. Risk factors for urinary tract infections in postmenopausal women. Arch Intern Med. 2004;164(9):989–993. doi: 10.1001/archinte.164.9.989. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types