Urinary tract infection among women aged 40 to 65: Behavioral and sexual risk factors

Foxman, Betsy; Somsel, Patricia; Tallman, Patricia; Gillespie, Brenda; Raz, Raul; Colodner, Raul; Kandula, Deepika; Sobel, Jack D.

« Previous Next »Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
Volume 54, Issue 7 , Pages 710-718, July 2001

Urinary tract infection among women aged 40 to 65:

Behavioral and sexual risk factors

Betsy Foxman
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 109 Observatory St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Corresponding author. Tel.: 734-764-5487; fax: 734-764-3192.
Patricia Somsel
- Regional Medical Laboratories, Battle Creek, MI, USA
Patricia Tallman
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 109 Observatory St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
Brenda Gillespie
- Center for Statistical Consultation and Research and Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Raul Raz
- Infectious Disease Unit and Microbiology Laboratory, Ha'Emek Medical center, Afula, Israel, and Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
Raul Colodner
- Infectious Disease Unit and Microbiology Laboratory, Ha'Emek Medical center, Afula, Israel, and Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
Deepika Kandula
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 109 Observatory St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
Jack D. Sobel
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA

Received 11 January 2000; received in revised form 25 September 2000; accepted 14 October 2000.

Abstract

We conducted a case–control study to explore the role of health behavior and sexual and medical history on urinary tract infection (UTI) risk among otherwise healthy women aged 40–65. Cases and controls were recruited from nine practices and clinics in Michigan and a single clinic in Israel. In both countries, several factors were reported significantly more frequently among UTI cases than controls: a previous UTI within 12 months, incontinence symptoms, a recent episode of 30-plus minutes of cold hands, feet, back or buttocks, and recent antibiotic use. Cases were less likely than controls to report recent estrogen use, but the results were only statistically significant in Michigan. Sexual activity during the previous 2 weeks and having ceased menses were modestly, but not statistically significantly, protective at both study sites. Risk factors for UTI among women 40–65 differ from those for younger women and these differences cannot be attributed solely to changes in menopausal status.

Keywords: Sex behavior, Incontinence, Antibiotic use, Cold exposure, Cranberry juice