Fitzpatrick Margaret A, Wirth Marissa, Solanki Pooja, Burns Stephen P, Suda Katie J, Weaver Frances M, Collins Eileen G, Safdar Nasia, Evans Charlesnika T
Center of Innovation for Veteran-Centered and Value-Driven Care, Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
J Spinal Cord Med. 2025 May 14:1-9. doi: 10.1080/10790268.2025.2503051.
Urinary tract infections (UTI) are common complications in people with neurogenic bladder (NB). Limited data exist on UTI-related knowledge, experiences, and quality of life (QoL) impacts in this population.
We mailed surveys to 289 Veterans with NB due to spinal cord injury/disorder (SCI/D), multiple sclerosis, or Parkinson's Disease who had a UTI diagnosis at four Veterans Affairs Medical Centers between May 2022-May 2023. The survey was adapted from existing instruments and previously collected qualitative data and assessed patient knowledge and experiences with UTI and QoL impacts. Descriptive statistics summarized responses and scaled QoL scores were calculated, with higher scores indicating greater negative impact.
Most respondents ( = 71) were older (mean age = 69), had SCI/D (77%), and used urinary catheters (77%). Over a third had misperceptions about antibiotic risks and the significance of a positive urine culture or bacteriuria for diagnosing UTI. 18% wanted more information about UTIs, with most preferring written materials (77%) or information at healthcare provider visits (62%). The strongest QoL impacts were on daily activities, with many respondents indicating UTIs affect diet (50%), travel (53%), and sex life (60%). Mean [standard deviation (SD)] scaled QoL score was 40.8 (15.3) out of a maximum of 75, with ≥ 3 UTIs in the prior year associated with higher scores ( = 0.02).
People with NB may have misperceptions about UTI diagnosis and antibiotic risks, and experience substantial QoL impacts from UTIs. Provider encounters for suspected UTI may be good opportunities for delivering written education and assessing QoL impacts.
尿路感染（UTI）是神经源性膀胱（NB）患者常见的并发症。关于该人群尿路感染相关知识、经历及生活质量（QoL）影响的数据有限。
我们向289名因脊髓损伤/疾病（SCI/D）、多发性硬化症或帕金森病导致神经源性膀胱且在2022年5月至2023年5月期间于四家退伍军人事务医疗中心被诊断为尿路感染的退伍军人邮寄了调查问卷。该调查问卷改编自现有工具及先前收集的定性数据，评估了患者对尿路感染的知识、经历及生活质量影响。描述性统计总结了回答情况，并计算了生活质量评分，得分越高表明负面影响越大。
大多数受访者（n = 71）年龄较大（平均年龄 = 69岁），患有脊髓损伤/疾病（77%），并使用导尿管（77%）。超过三分之一的人对抗生素风险以及尿培养阳性或菌尿对尿路感染诊断的意义存在误解。18%的人希望获得更多关于尿路感染的信息，大多数人更喜欢书面材料（77%）或在就医时获取信息（62%）。对生活质量影响最大的是日常活动，许多受访者表示尿路感染会影响饮食（50%）、出行（53%）和性生活（60%）。生活质量评分的平均[标准差（SD）]为40.8（15.3），满分75分，前一年发生≥3次尿路感染与更高的评分相关（P = 0.02）。
神经源性膀胱患者可能对尿路感染诊断和抗生素风险存在误解，并且尿路感染对生活质量有重大影响。疑似尿路感染的就诊可能是提供书面教育和评估生活质量影响的好机会。
