Recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs): Definition and epidemiology Recurrent UTIs are symptomatic UTIs that are common among otherwise healthy women with anatomically and physiologically normal urinary tracts.1Kodner CM, Thomas Gupton EK. Recurrent urinary tract infections in women: diagnosis and management. Am Fam Physician. 2010 Sep 15;82(6):638-43. Recurrent UTIs are defined as ≥ 2 infections in six months or ≥3 infections in one year and are thought to represent re-infection than relapse.2Hooton TM, Gupta K. Recurrent urinary tract infection in women. Uptodate. Available from: https://www.uptodate.com/ stc ontents/recurrent-urinary-tract-infection-in-women [Accessed on 31 May 2017]. UTIs are clinically divided into complicated and uncomplicated. Uncomplicated UTIs affect healthy individuals with no structural or neurological urinary tract abnormalities. These infections are differentiated into lower UTIs (cystitis) and upper UTIs (pyelonephritis). Complicated UTIs are associated with patients having predisposing medical conditions like immunosuppression, renal failure, renal transplantation, pregnancy and the presence of foreign bodies such as calculi,…
Introduction and prevalence of overactive bladder (OAB) The Standardisation Subcommittee of the International Continence Society (ICS) defines OAB as urgency, with or without urge incontinence, usually with frequency and nocturia.1Wein AJ, Rovner ES. Definition and epidemiology of overactive bladder. Urology. 2002 Nov;60(5 Suppl 1):7-12. OAB is a common condition in both men and women and significantly impacts the overall quality of life, sexual function, sleep and mental health. In spite of the similarity in prevalence of OAB between the two sexes, sex-specific differences of various symptoms within the OAB complex exist. Anatomical and physiological differences in the lower urinary tract of males and females may help to explain this variations.2Eapen RS and Radomski SB. Review of the epidemiology of overactive bladder. Res Rep Urol. 2016; 8: 71-76. The prevalence of incontinence in women varies from 14% to 40.5% (23.5% using the ICS definition), while in men, it varies from 4.6%…
