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The Prevalence of Unexpected Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Women with Lower Urinary Tract Complaints Suggestive of UTI is High
Weigler G, Perry C, Weigler A, Kim B, Yangouyian M, Vicena J, and Richard Santucci*
Detroit Medical Center, Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Michigan, USA
- *Corresponding Author:
- Richard Santucci
M.D., F.A.C.S
Specialist-in-Chief, Urology
Detroit Medical Center, Clinical Professor
Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
4160 John R. Suite 1017, Detroit
Michigan 48201, USA
Tel: 313-745-4123
Fax: 313-745-8222
E-mail: rsantucc@dmc.org
Received date: August 14, 2013; Accepted date: September 18, 2013; Published date: September 20, 2013
Citation: Weigler G, Perry C, Weigler A, Kim B, Yangouyian M, et al. (2013) The Prevalence of Unexpected Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Women with Lower Urinary Tract Complaints Suggestive of UTI is High. J Community Med Health Educ 3:240. doi:10.4172/2161-0711.1000240
Copyright: © 2013 Weigler G, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Objective: To examine the prevalence of unrecognized sexually transmitted diseases in women who present to the emergency room with urinary complaints, which generally would be treated only for urinary tract infection. Methods: An eight month, prospective study was performed in a community, teaching hospital emergency department. Sexually active women, ages 18-45, who presented with urinary complaints were solicited for participation. Physician-administered questionnaires queried the demographic, gynecologic, obstetric, sexual history, and presenting symptoms. Patient complaints, physical findings, laboratory results (urinalysis, urine culture, serum Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL), and cervical cultures for Nisseria gonorrhea, Chlamydia trachomatis, and Trichomonas) were reviewed. Results: A total of 49 patients (66% African American, 28% Caucasian, and 6% other) who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled. The mean age of our participants was 25 years. The range of sexual partners in one’s lifetime was 1 to 50, with a mean of 12.8 partners. Forty-eight percent had a history of a Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) and 18% had active disease (C. trachomatis 8%, syphilis 2%, and Trichomonas 8%). There was no relationship between the history of a STD and positive cultures or recurrent STD. Thirty-four percent were confirmed to have a UTI. Fourteen percent were co-infected with both a STD and a UTI. Conclusion: The prevalence of occult STDs in women presenting with urinary complaints who underwent pelvic examination was 18%. The evidence emphasizes the importance of diagnosing STDs with performing a pelvic examination and culture on sexually active females with nonspecific urinary complaints, who otherwise might be misdiagnosed as having a simple urinary tract infection.
