Does COVID-19 cause or worsen LUT dysfunction, what are the mechanisms and possible treatments? ICI-RS 2023

Khullar, Vik; Lemmon, Berni; Acar, Omer; Abrams, Paul; Vahabi, Bahareh

Abstract

Introduction: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and produced a worldwide pandemic in 2020. There have been 770,875,433 confirmed cases and 6,959,316 attributed deaths worldwide until September 19, 2023. The virus can also affect the lower urinary tract (LUT) leading to bladder inflammation and producing lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in both the acute and chronic phases of disease. Methods: At the 2023 meeting of the International Consultation on Incontinence-Research Society (ICI-RS), the literature relating to COVID-19 and bladder dysfunction was reviewed. The LUTSreported, as well as the pathophysiology of these bladder symptoms, were the subject of considerable discussion. A number of different topics were discussed including lower LUTS reported in COVID-19, how SARS-CoV-2 may infect and affect the urinary tract, and proposed mechanisms for how viral infection result in new, worsened, and in some persisting LUTS. Conclusions: The workshop discussed the interaction between the virus and the immune system, covering current evidence supporting theories underlying the causes of acute and chronic LUTS related to COVID-19 infection. Research questions for further investigation were suggested and identified.

• Journal Article Type: Review
• Acceptance Date: Feb 27, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Mar 20, 2024
• Publication Date: Aug 1, 2024
• Deposit Date: Apr 18, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 19, 2024
• Journal: Neurourology and Urodynamics
• Print ISSN: 0733-2467
• Electronic ISSN: 1520-6777
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 43
• Issue: 6
• Pages: 1458-1463
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/nau.25441
• Keywords: long‐COVID, urinary frequency, COVID‐19, SARS‐CoV‐2, lower urinary tract symptoms, urinary urgency
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/11839924