Selected risk factors for urinary tract infections

Introduction:
Urinary tract infection is predisposed not only by bladder catheterization, but also by advanced age, gender, length of hospitalization, and comorbidities. The urinary catheter breaches the mucosal barrier of the urinary epithelium, which is the cause of the formation of a bacterial biofilm, facilitating the entry of pathogens. Advanced age is associated with prostatic hypertrophy in men and urinary incontinence in women, and accompanying multimorbidity predisposes to more frequent infections. Women, due to the anatomy of the urinary tract, are more likely to develop a urinary tract infection than men. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) weakens the immune system, which can manifest as infections; also, uncompensated diabetes and glucosuria promote the proliferation of bacteria. The aim of the study was to evaluate selected risk factors of urinary tract infections in a specialized hospital in a group of 66 patients.

Material and methods:
The research method used was documentoscopy, and the technique was analysis of the medical records of the Hospital Infection Control Team and the collective nursing records. The study included 66 patients with hospital-acquired urinary tract infections hospitalized at the Józef Dietl Specialist Hospital in Krakow from January to December 2020.

Results:
The average length of hospitalization of the studied patients was 32.91 days. The clinical course of urinary tract infection was not influenced by such risk factors as bladder catheterization, old age, gender, length of hospitalization, and diabetes. A correlation between CKD and urinary tract infection was demonstrated. Death occurred more frequently in subjects with urinary tract infection and CKD. A mild clinical course of infection was observed in subjects without CKD.

Conclusions:
Concomitant urinary tract infection and CKD were more likely to predispose to death.