Risk Factors for Bacterial Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)

Risk factors for UTIs that are common among both men and women:

• History of previous UTIs

• Insertion of a urinary catheter or any instrument by a doctor

• Structural abnormalities such as urethral stricture (narrowing), bladder diverticulum (outpouchings) or leaking of the valve-like mechanism between the ureter and the bladder

• Blockage in the urinary tract by kidney stones

• Conditions that interfere with normal voiding such as paralysis resulting from a spinal cord injury

• Decline in memory and thinking skills (cognitive impairment), fecal incontinence, or urinary incontinence

Risk factors for UTIs in women:

• Sexual intercourse

• Use of a diaphragm and spermicide

• Use of antibiotics

• A new sex partner within the past year

• History of UTIs in first-degree female relatives (such as a mother or sister)

• First UTI at an early age

• Presence of an abnormal connection (fistula) between the vagina and the bladder or the intestine and the bladder

Risk factors for UTIs in men:

• Benign prostatic hyperplasia (prostate enlargement)

• Prostatitis (infection of the prostate)

• Blockage anywhere in the urinary tract (for example by a prostate tumor or urethral stricture)

• Unprotected anal intercourse

• Uncircumcised