Gender-Specific Differences in Urethral Swabs: A Retrospective Single-Centre Analysis.

Introduction: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are on the rise globally, yet accurate data regarding infection rates remain scarce. There is the assumption that STIs among women with chronic urinary tract infections (UTIs) have been underestimated. This may arise from the reliance on specialised cultivation or nucleic acid amplification techniques for detection, which are more costly than standard urine culture and are typically only conducted by specialists like urologists.

Methods: A retrospective, observational, single-centre study using medical records of patients who received a urethral swab in a German urological practice in the past 5 years has been conducted.

Results: 55% of patients had a STI requiring treatment. People with recurrent UTIs had a STI in 35% of the cases. Younger age is associated with the detection of STIs. The female gender is significantly associated with a positive swab result.

Conclusion: Distinguishing between cystitis and urethritis, particularly in women with recurrent UTIs experiencing dysuria, presents a clinical challenge. The prevalence of asymptomatic infections suggests that the true burden of urethritis, particularly STIs, may be substantially higher in the general population than currently reported. This underscores the urgency of establishing guidelines for referral and diagnostic evaluation as delayed or inadequate treatment may contribute to escalating infection rates and antibiotic resistance.