ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Schizophrenia is associated with increased infections across the lifespan. We previously found an association between urinary tract infection (UTI) and acute nonaffective psychosis. The aims of this study were to explore further the relationship between UTI and acute psychosis, including associated clinical features. METHOD: We identified by chart review subjects aged 18-64 years who were hospitalized between January 2010 and April 2012 for an acute episode of DSM-IV nonaffective psychosis (schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, psychosis not otherwise specified, or delusional disorder; n =134), affective psychosis (bipolar or major depressive disorder with psychotic features; n = 101), or alcohol detoxification (n = 105), and we recruited healthy controls (n =39). Urinary tract infection was defined as positive leukocyte esterase and/or positive nitrites on urinalysis and ≥ 5-10 leukocytes/high-powered field on urine microscopy. RESULTS: The prevalence of UTI was 21% in nonaffective psychosis, 18% in affective psychosis, 12% in alcohol use disorders, and 3% in controls. After controlling for potential confounders, UTI was almost 11 times more likely in subjects with nonaffective psychosis than controls (OR = 10.7; 95% CI, 1.4-83.2; P =.02) and almost 9 times more likely in subjects with major depressive disorder with psychotic features than controls (OR = 8.9; 95% CI, 1.1-71.4; P = .04). There were no associations between clinical characteristics and UTI in acute psychosis. CONCLUSIONS: We replicated and extended an association between an UTI and acute psychosis. Findings suggest that infections appear relevant to the etiopathophysiology of relapse and increased premature mortality risk in the psychoses. The results also highlight the potential importance of monitoring for comorbid UTI in relevant patient populations.
Subject(s)
Psychotic Disorders/complications , Urinary Tract Infections/etiology , Acute Disease , Adolescent , Adult , Antipsychotic Agents/adverse effects , Antipsychotic Agents/therapeutic use , Bipolar Disorder/complications , Case-Control Studies , Depressive Disorder, Major/complications , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Psychotic Disorders/drug therapy , Retrospective Studies , Schizophrenia/complications , Urinary Tract Infections/psychology , Young AdultABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Schizophrenia is associated with immune abnormalities and increased mortality from infectious diseases. The aim of this study was to examine whether acute relapse of schizophrenia was associated with urinary tract infection (UTI), in comparison with controls, after controlling for potential confounding factors. METHOD: In a prevalence study conducted from January 2010 to April 2012 at Georgia Health Sciences University Medical Center, Augusta, we recruited 136 adult subjects (mean age = 42.8 years): 57 inpatients with an acute relapse of DSM-IV schizophrenia, 40 stable outpatients with DSM-IV schizophrenia, and 39 healthy controls from the community. Urinary tract infection was defined as having positive leukocyte esterase and/or positive nitrites on urinalysis and having ≥ 5 leukocytes per high-powered field (implies 5-10 or more) on urine microscopy. Determination of UTI status was made for each subject, and analyses were performed to examine the association between UTI and acute relapse of schizophrenia. RESULTS: 35% of acutely relapsed subjects, versus 5% of stable outpatients and 3% of controls, had a UTI (P < .001). Only 40% of subjects in the acute relapse group classified as having a UTI were treated with antibiotics during hospitalization. After analyses were controlled for gender and smoking status, subjects in the acute relapse group were almost 29 times more likely to have a UTI than controls (odds ratio = 28.97; 95% CI, 3.44-243.85; P = .002). There was no statistically significant association with UTI among the stable outpatients versus controls. CONCLUSIONS: Our finding of an association between an increased prevalence of UTI and acute psychotic relapse warrants replication in other samples. The mechanism of this association remains unclear. The results also highlight the potential importance of monitoring for comorbid UTI in acutely relapsed patients with schizophrenia.