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Association Between Urinary Symptoms and Urinary Tract Infection in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis
Alireza Nikseresht1, Haideh Salehi, Amin Abolhasani Foroughi
1Clinical Neurology Research Center, Department of Neurology, shiraz,iran. Nikra7@yahoo.com.
Background & Objective:
Urinary dysfunctions occur in the majority of MS patients and these patients are at higher risks of developing UTI due to multiple reasons. We determined to study the association between different urinary symptoms and UTI in MS patients.
Material & Method:
Eighty seven MS patients that referred to our medical care center with an acute attack of the disease, from November 2012 to April 2014, were included in the study. Patients were classified into two groups based on their urine culture results: UTI positive and non-UTI patients. The prevalence of different types of urinary symptoms was then compared among the two groups.
Result:
The mean age of our patients was 36.8 years old. From the total 87 patients, 83 (95.4%) were female. Overall 56.3% of patients displayed urinary symptoms. The most prevalent urinary problems were urinary incontinence and frequency (25.3% and 24.1%, respectively). A positive urinary culture was seen in 71.3% of the patients. The prevalence of urinary problems was significantly higher in UTI patients in comparison to non-UTI patients (64.5% and 40% in UTI and non-UTI patients, respectively; p=0.036). Separately none of the different urinary symptoms displayed a significant difference between UTI and non-UTI patients (p>0.05).
Conclusion:
Not a single symptom can be diagnostic of UTI, but MS patient with urinary tract infections do present more urinary symptoms and this can be an indication for further urine analysis and screening measures for MS patients who display more urinary symptoms.
Insights
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. While no single symptom is diagnostic, MS patients with UTIs show more urinary problems, warranting further screening.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Urology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Urinary dysfunctions are prevalent in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients.
- MS patients face increased risk of urinary tract infections (UTIs) due to various factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between specific urinary symptoms and the presence of UTIs in MS patients.
- To determine if certain urinary symptoms can predict UTIs in this population.
Main Methods:
- Eighty-seven MS patients with acute attacks were enrolled.
- Patients were categorized into UTI-positive and non-UTI groups based on urine culture.
- Prevalence of urinary symptoms was compared between the two groups.
Main Results:
- Over half (56.3%) of MS patients experienced urinary symptoms, most commonly incontinence and frequency.
- A significant majority (71.3%) of patients had positive urine cultures.
- Urinary problems were more frequent in UTI-positive patients (64.5%) versus non-UTI patients (40%) (p=0.036).
- No single urinary symptom showed a statistically significant difference between UTI and non-UTI groups.
Conclusions:
- No individual urinary symptom is diagnostic for UTIs in MS patients.
- MS patients with UTIs exhibit a higher overall prevalence of urinary symptoms.
- Increased urinary symptoms in MS patients should prompt further urine analysis and screening for UTIs.
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