Urological comorbidities in Egyptian rheumatoid arthritis patients: Risk factors and relation to disease activity and functional status

Abstract Aim of the work : To assess the urological disorders in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, analyse the risk factors and to find their relation to disease activity and functional status. Patients and methods : 291 RA patients (253 females and 38 males; F:M 6.7:1) and 242 matched controls were included. Urological disorders in the form of urinary tract infections (UTI), urolithiasis and acute urine retention (AUR) were assessed, risk factors were analysed. Disease activity score (DAS-28) and modified health assessment questionnaire (mHAQ) were calculated. Results : RA patients had more frequent urological disorders (38.14%) than controls (20.66%), more UTI (p  Conclusion : RA patients were found to have more urological disorders. Bronchial asthma, hypertension and higher steroid doses may increase risk for urinary comorbidities in RA. Patients with higher DAS28 and mHAQ had more urological comorbidities, however without statistically significant difference.