Evaluation of asymptomatic bacteriuria and urinary tract infections in Egyptian rheumatoid arthritis patients using biological and /or conventional DMARDs

Abstract

Objective: To determine how frequently Egyptian RA patients receiving biological and/or traditional DMARDs experience asymptomatic bacteriuria and urinary tract infections (UTI). Methods: 100 RA patients and 100 age- and sex-matched healthy controls made up this cross-sectional study. For urine analysis and culture, each participant provided mid-stream urine sample. Each participant's blood was drawn for ELISA testing to measure the levels of IgG antibodies against Proteus mirabilis and E. coli, the most frequently isolated pathogen from RA patients’ urine samples. Additionally, RA patients' clinical assessments were carried out. Results: (5%) of healthy controls and (40%) of RA patients had asymptomatic bacteriuria, respectively. E. coli (25%), followed by Proteus mirabilis (42.5%), were the two most frequently isolated organisms. IgG antibody levels against Proteus mirabilis were significantly different between the two study groups (P 0.001). Regarding the levels of IgG antibodies against E. coli, there was no discernible difference between the two study groups (P 0.571). Proteus mirabilis IgG antibody levels were observed to significantly positively correlate with ESR, CRP, DAS28, m HAQ, duration of morning stiffness, and conventional DMARDs in RA patients.