The association of urinary tract infection with a recent pelvic examination in women
J. D. Tiemstra and J. M. Sinacore
Department of Family Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA.
We tried to determine whether women with a urinary tract infection (UTI)
were more likely to have had a recent pelvic examination than were women
seen for other reasons. We compared 56 women who were diagnosed as having a
UTI with 49 controls who had an unrelated complaint (sinusitis).
Significantly more women with UTIs had received a pelvic examination within
the preceding 2 months (43% vs 16%, P = .01). We conclude that having a
pelvic examination is associated with an increased risk of a UTI developing
within the following 2 months. This may be due to physical factors related
to the examination or to risk factors related to the patients' reasons for
obtaining a pelvic examination. Further study is needed to determine if the
pelvic examination is an independent risk factor. If so, established
preventive measures could reduce this risk.
