E-Posters-10226_Hendrickson

10226_Hendrickson_Cahill

Pdf Summary

A study conducted at Kaiser Permanente San Diego aimed to characterize the colonization of Ureaplasma urealyticum in women presenting with painful lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and to examine symptom resolution after treatment. The study included 312 women who underwent Ureaplasma culture and had painful LUTS. Of these, 116 women tested positive for Ureaplasma colonization.<br /><br />The findings showed that U. urealyticum colonization was associated with younger age, sexual activity, history of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), divorced/widowed status, consuming more than 7 drinks of alcohol per week, vaginal discharge, and no vaginal atrophy on presentation.<br /><br />Furthermore, the study found that women with U. urealyticum who were treated with LUTS therapy, including antibiotics, had higher rates of symptom resolution (75%) compared to those without U. urealyticum who were treated with non-antibiotic LUTS therapy (50%).<br /><br />Based on these findings, the researchers proposed that women with painful LUTS and certain characteristics (i.e., younger age, sexual activity, history of STIs, divorced/widowed status, alcohol consumption, vaginal discharge, and no vaginal atrophy) may benefit from Ureaplasma culture.<br /><br />The study also highlighted that U. urealyticum is commonly found in women presenting with dysuria, urinary frequency, urinary urgency, and discharge, suggesting that it may be a cause of urethritis in patients with painful LUTS.<br /><br />The researchers recommended following the current CDC guidelines for the treatment of non-gonococcal urethritis, which recommend Azithromycin or Doxycycline for 7 days.<br /><br />In summary, U. urealyticum colonization was associated with specific demographic and clinical characteristics, and treatment with antibiotics showed higher symptom resolution rates in women with Ureaplasma colonization. These findings suggest that Ureaplasma culture may be warranted in women with painful LUTS who exhibit these characteristics.

Keywords

Ureaplasma urealyticum

painful lower urinary tract symptoms

LUTS

symptom resolution

Ureaplasma culture

sexual activity

STIs

alcohol consumption

vaginal discharge

antibiotics