Premenopausal women with recurrent urinary tract infections have lower quality of life

Objectives

To examine the impact on quality of life of recurrent acute uncomplicated urinary tract infection among premenopausal Singaporean women, and to determine the risk factors for lower quality of life among these patients.

Methods

A total of 85 patients with recurrent acute uncomplicated urinary tract infection who were referred to the Urology Department at the National University Hospital, Singapore, were prospectively recruited over a 3‐year period to complete the validated Short Form 36 Health Survey version 1. In addition, demographic and clinical details including symptomology and medical history were analyzed for factors impacting quality of life. Short Form 36 Health Survey version 1 results were compared with published population norms.

Results

After adjusting for age, gender and race, recurrent acute uncomplicated urinary tract infection patients had significantly lower quality of life on seven out of eight Short Form 36 Health Survey version 1 domains when compared with age‐, gender‐ and race‐adjusted population norms for Singapore. Among those with recurrent acute uncomplicated urinary tract infection, those who also reported caffeine consumption had significantly lower Short Form 36 Health Survey version 1 scores than those who did not. Those who reported chronic constipation also had consistently lower Short Form 36 Health Survey version 1 scores across all domains.

Conclusions

Recurrent acute uncomplicated urinary tract infection has a negative impact on the quality of life of premenopausal, otherwise healthy women. Recurrent acute uncomplicated urinary tract infection patients who also have chronic constipation or consume caffeine have lower quality of life than those who do not. More studies are required to understand the relationships between these common problems and risk factors.