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
. 2023 Jul 1;29(7):641-645.
doi: 10.1097/SPV.0000000000001328. Epub 2023 Jan 29.

Fecal Incontinence and the Risk of Urinary Tract Infection in Patients Presenting for Urogynecological Consultation

Sierra M Jansen  1 , Katherine Pellino  2 , Qianqian Zhou  3 , Heidi W Brown  4 , Christine A Heisler  4
Affiliations

Fecal Incontinence and the Risk of Urinary Tract Infection in Patients Presenting for Urogynecological Consultation

Sierra M Jansen et al. Urogynecology (Phila). .

Abstract

Importance: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is common in urogynecology patients. Patients with fecal incontinence (FI) often attribute their UTIs to FI, but this association has not been evaluated.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to compare the prevalence of UTI in urogynecology patients with and without FI and to characterize factors associated with UTI and recurrent UTI.

Study design: This retrospective cohort study included all new adult patients who presented to an academic female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery practice with FI from January 2014 through December 2017. Patients were age-matched to new adult patients with stage <2 pelvic organ prolapse without FI. All urine culture results from 1 year before and 1 year after the first visit were identified. Logistic regression identified factors associated with UTI.

Results: Among 399 patients, 106 (27%) had a culture-confirmed UTI in the year before or after their first urogynecology visit; the prevalence of UTI was 23% (45/198) in patients with FI and 30% (61/201) in those without FI (P = 0.09). The rate of recurrent UTI was 11.5% overall and did not differ among those with and without FI. In multivariate models, variables that were statistically significantly associated with UTI included age, diabetes mellitus, anterior vaginal wall prolapse, and sexual activity. Fecal incontinence was not associated with any or recurrent UTI.

Conclusions: The prevalence of UTI and recurrent UTI was similar in urogynecology patients with and without FI. Variables that were associated with UTI risk included older age, sexual activity, diabetes mellitus, and anterior vaginal wall prolapse.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared they have no conflicts of interest.

References

    1. Lüthje P, Hirschberg AL, Brauner A. Estrogenic action on innate defense mechanisms in the urinary tract. Maturitas. 2014;77(1):32–36. doi: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2013.10.018. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Samimi P, Ackerman AL, Handler S, et al. Recurrent urinary tract infection in women: primary care referral patterns in a tertiary care center. Female Pelvic Med Reconstr Surg. 2021;27(2):118–120. doi: 10.1097/SPV.0000000000000752. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ferrante KL, Wasenda EJ, Jung CE, et al. Vaginal estrogen for the prevention of recurrent urinary tract infection in postmenopausal women: a randomized clinical trial. Female Pelvic Med Reconstr Surg. 2021;27(2):112–117. doi: 10.1097/SPV.0000000000000749. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Rowe TA, Juthani-Mehta M. Urinary tract infection in older adults. Aging Health. 2013;9(5). doi: 10.2217/ahe.13.38. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Medina M, Castillo-Pino E. An introduction to the epidemiology and burden of urinary tract infections. Ther Adv Urol. 2019;11: 1756287219832172. doi: 10.1177/1756287219832172. - DOI - PMC - PubMed