Urinary Tract Infection - Risk Factors

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Biologic and Physical Factors. Some women may also have certain biologic or anatomical factors that increase the risk for recurring UTIs:

• Having a shorter than average distance between the urethra and the anus.
• Certain women may carry a compound called sialosyl galactosyl globoside (SGG) on the surface of kidney cells, which is a highly powerful receptor for E. coli bacteria.
• Certain women have a genetic susceptibility to becoming infected in the vaginal area with greater numbers of disease-causing organisms that adhere to the lining.
• Certain women may be deficient in human beta-defensin-1 (HBD-1), believed to be a naturally occurring antibiotic.

Risk Factors for Recurrence in the Aging Woman. In addition to menopause, other very strong risk factors for recurrences in older women include urinary incontinence and previous operations on the genital or urinary tracts. Additional risk factors for UTIs in older women include diabetes, vaginal itching or dryness, having had children, and poor overall health.

Risk Factors in Children

About 2% of children develop urinary tract infections. Because males are more likely to be born with structural abnormalities of the urinary tract, UTIs during the first 6 months of life are more common in boys. The rates are about equal in toddlers. Afterward, however, UTIs are far more common in girls. By the age of 5 years, UTIs are 50 times more common in girls than in boys. Within the first 10 years, boys will have a 1% and girls a 3% chance for developing a UTI. An infection reoccurs in about 30% of boys and 40% of girls. As with adults, Eschericia coli (E. coli ) is the most common cause of UTIs in children.

Vesicoureteral Reflux (VUR). Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is the source of urinary tract infections in 30 - 50% of childhood cases. This is a structural defect of the valve-like mechanism between the ureter and bladder that allows urine to flow backward, carrying infection from the bladder up into the kidneys. VUR also puts children at risk for recurrence; such recurrences nearly always occur within the first 6 months after the first UTI.