Prevalence and Risk Factors of Asymptomatic Bacteriuria Among Apparently Healthy Women in Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

Asymptomatic bacteriuria is the presence of bacteria in the urine without the accompanying symptoms of urinary tract infection. The prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria is reported to increase with age, with the highest prevalence seen in postmenopausal women. However, data on the general prevalence of ASB in African women is not available. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria and its associated risk factors among women in Lagos, Nigeria. This was a cross-sectional study involving 162 apparently healthy women at the outpatient clinic of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria. A questionnaire was used to collect information on socio-demographic factors and hygienic practices, and midstream urine was collected to assay for significant bacteriuria. The result of the study showed an asymptomatic bacteriuria prevalence of 27.8%, with the prevalence higher in premenopausal women than in postmenopausal women, albeit not statistically significant. This prevalence was not significantly associated with educational status, marital status, ethnicity, past treatment of urinary tract infection, type of product used during menstruation, or even the method of washing the vagina. Considering that the treatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria is only recommended in pregnant women, and the prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria is similar among pregnant and non-pregnant women, we recommend that women be screened for asymptomatic bacteriuria immediately upon pregnancy, and that screening for asymptomatic bacteriuria be made one of the routine screening tests for pregnant women in Nigeria.