Urinary tract infections in multiple sclerosis

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are commonly reported by people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) and significantly impact quality of life.

To provide an overview of the problem of UTIs in PwMS and offer a practical approach for the diagnosis and management.

A review of the literature through a Pubmed search up to October 2015 was performed using the following keywords: multiple sclerosis, neurogenic bladder, urinary tract infections, relapse, dipsticks, culture, recurrent and prevention.

Noteworthy topics include the definition of a confirmed symptomatic UTI as a positive urine culture defined by >10(5) colony-forming units (CFU)/mL or >10(4) CFU/mL if a urethral catheter urine sample is taken, or any count of bacteria in a suprapubic bladder puncture specimen, both in addition to symptoms including fever, pain, changes in lower urinary tract symptoms or neurological status. Urinalysis is useful to exclude a UTI; however, on its own is insufficient to confirm a UTI, for which urine culture is required. Experts advise asymptomatic UTIs should not be treated except in the context of an acute relapse. From international guidelines, there is no validated strategy to prevent recurrent UTIs in PwMS.

This review provides an overview of the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of UTIs in the setting of multiple sclerosis (MS).