Prolonged urinary retention in COVID-19 survivors: observational study

Initially diagnosed as a respiratory disease, SARS-CoV-2 revealed numerous extrapulmonary implications. The aim of this study was to investigate prolonged urinary retention in survivors post-COVID-19 infection that led to hospitalization.

A retrospective cohort analysis included male and female patients hospitalized during the COVID-19 pandemic in a reference center hospital. Exclusions were patients with a history of lower urinary tract surgeries or symptoms, including urinary incontinence, those using medication affecting detrusor contractile activity, and those with established neurological diseases. Clinical, laboratory, and radiographic data were obtained from medical records and analyzed using chi-square, Fisher's exact, Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, and Dunn tests.

The study included 834 patients, with 471 (56.5%) male and 363 (43.5%) female. Of these, 300 patients used a urinary catheter, and 12.6% were unable to remove it due to sustained urinary retention. Orotracheal intubation, thrombocytopenia, urinary tract infections, and higher Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores were associated with urinary retention. Correlation analysis showed that the highest percentage of pulmonary involvement on computed tomography was related to longer catheterization time and failed attempts to remove the catheter, affecting men and women equally.

Urinary tract involvement in COVID-19 infection is increasingly evident. The correlation between COVID-19 severity and failure to remove the urinary catheter in a similar percentage of men and women reinforces the hypothesis that sex-independent urothelial injury and bladder dysfunction might be caused by COVID-19.