Does the Urinary Microbiome Play a Role in Urgency Urinary Incontinence and Its Severity?

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Traditionally, the urinary tract has been thought to be sterile in the absence of a clinically identifiable infection. However, recent evidence suggests that the urinary tract harbors a variety of bacterial species, known collectively as the urinary microbiome, even when clinical cultures are negative. Whether these bacteria promote urinary health or contribute to urinary tract disease remains unknown. Emerging evidence indicates that a shift in the urinary microbiome may play an important role in urgency urinary incontinence (UUI). The goal of this prospective pilot study was to determine how the urinary microbiome is different between women with and without UUI. We also sought to identify if characteristics of the urinary microbiome are associated with UUI severity.

SUBMITTER: Karstens L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4961701 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature