Urinary tract infections and their stigma: A global perspective
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Urinary tract infections and their stigma: A global perspective
IRAS ID
373065
Contact name
Amelia Joseph
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Leiden University Medical Center, LUMC
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 5 months, 30 days
Research summary
Rationale: Urinary tract infections (UTI) are common in both adult men and women worldwide. While females experience a higher incidence and recurrence rate, males often present with prostatic involvement leading to more persistent UTIs. Recurrent UTIs (rUTI) can lead to significant physical discomfort. Next to the somatic burden, patients also experience reduced quality of life and even social stigmatization. Stigma is the result of a process in which a person or group is labelled, set apart, and linked to undesirable characteristics by society. Social stigmatization is reported to have a significant negative impact on overall health. Research shows that the stigma surrounding UTIs stem from some of the causes linked to UTIs, such as sexual intercourse and incorrect genital hygiene. Studies suggest that stigma associated with UTIs could be different between males and females, and various ethnicities. However, to date, studies with adequate diversity in gender, ethnicity, and rUTI frequency elucidating this matter remain absent.
Objective: We aim to evaluate the extent and type of stigma experienced by adults with UTI worldwide. Additionally, we aim to examine whether the experienced stigma differs between gender, different ethnicities, and varying frequencies of rUTI.REC name
London - London Bridge Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
26/PR/0706
Date of REC Opinion
29 Jun 2026
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion