Hormone therapy reduces UTI risk in postmenopausal women: Study

USA: Women taking menopausal hormone therapy are at a lower risk for recurrent urinary tract infections (UTI), according to a recent study. The results of the study were presented at the European Association of Urology 2020 virtual congress.

UTI leads to alterations in the genitourinary (GU) microbiome resulting in less bacterial diversity. This predisposes postmenopausal women to recurrent infections. The composition and function of the GU microbiome of PM women has not been systematically analyzed. Therefore, Nicole De Nisco, University of Texas at Dallas, Dept. of Biological Sciences, Richardson, USA, and colleagues aimed to define and compare the GU microbiomes of three cohorts of PM women (Never UTI, Remittent rUTI, and Relapsed rUTI) by utilizing wholegenome metagenomic sequencing (WGMS) in this cross-sectional study. 

For the purpose, the researchers performed WGMS on clean-catch urine from PM women passing strict inclusion criteria for uncomplicated rUTI following IRB approval and patient consent. Women were sorted into cohorts by clinical history of rUTI. "Never UTI" (n=10): no clinical UTI history, "Remittent rUTI" (n=15): rUTI history, no current UTI, "Relapsed rUTI" (n=14): rUTI history, current UTI.