Behavioral and dietary risk factors of recurrent urinary tract infection in Chinese postmenopausal women: a case–control study

OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to examine the behavioral and dietary risk factors of recurrent urinary tract infection (RUTI) in postmenopausal patients in China. METHODS: We performed a population-based case–control study with 193 postmenopausal women with RUTI and 193 age-matched healthy female controls with no history of RUTI. The study was conducted between January 2016 and June 2018 in Changzhou, China. Data were collected using an interviewer-based questionnaire, including information on demographics, lifestyle behavior, and habitual diet. Conditional logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the risk factors associated with RUTI. RESULTS: Wiping from back to front after toilet use, sedentary behavior >6 hours/day, delayed voiding, and chronic constipation were associated with an increased risk of RUTI. Drinking more than three cups of green tea per month showed an inverse association with RUTI. However, there was no evidence of dose dependency for overall consumption. Additionally, the three-cup association involved a small proportion of cases and may reflect statistical artifact. CONCLUSIONS: Wiping from back to front after toilet use, sedentary behavior, delayed voiding, and chronic constipation are associated with an increased risk of RUTI in postmenopausal women.