(127) Dyspareunia as a Symptom of Urinary Tract Infection

Abstract

Abstract Introduction In 2010, our center presented to the annual congress for the society for the scientific study of sex, research related to the sexual attitude and behavior of Hispanic women in our area. We interviewed and assessed 3,000 patients and discovered in the analysis of the data that dyspareunia was associated with 1,333 patients between the ages of 17-72, co-occurring with urinary tract infection (UTI). In approximately 83.7% of total UTI cases, patients were also positive for dyspareunia. We have reviewed the literature and corroborate that dyspareunia has never been described as part of the symptomatology of UTI. Since then, we have continued to confirm these findings through the follow-up of thousands of women over the last 12 years. Objective This study demonstrates how dyspareunia is one of the most important symptoms of UTI, along with the clinical symptoms of pollakiuria, dysuria, urodynia, nocturia, lower abdominal pain, headache, and fever. Methods We used an initial review in the area of sexuality in which we found a correlation between dyspareunia and UTI. Since 2010, we have followed thousands of women seen in our centers regarding the presence of dyspareunia as a symptom of UTI. Results In 83% of the UTI cases studied over the years, dyspareunia was endorsed as a symptom. Of these, approximately 94% of cases responded positively to treatment with antibiotics. Additionally, the dyspareunia gradually disappeared with the treatment of the UTI. We also found that 80% of women of reproductive age presenting with complaints of dyspareunia had an undiagnosed UTI. During the perimenopausal and postmenopausal years, dyspareunia is more often associated with genitourinary syndrome of menopause than UTI. Conclusions Dyspareunia has been described as one of the symptoms of interstitial cystitis but has never been implicated as a significant symptom of regular uncomplicated or complicated UTI. We have found that this symptom is extremely important as part of the symptomatology of the UTI, frequently found along with the classical symptoms of UTI. Why has something so clear, so frequently present, never been described? The answer is simple, physicians and patients do not talk about sex, despite dyspareunia being more a clinical symptom than a sexual one. Medical schools and residency programs in all areas, especially in obstetrics and gynecology, urology, and psychiatry, have neglected the education of physicians-in-training in this area of extreme importance for human health. In conclusion, this is proof of the unscientific way in which medicine has sometimes been influenced by religion, culture, and social norms. Disclosure No