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Association between body mass index and urinary tract infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational cohort studies

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Abstract

Background and Objective

Very few studies have investigated the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and risk of urinary tract infection (UTI), and conclusions from these available studies have been inconsistent. To resolve this inconsistency, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to precisely examine the association between BMI and UTI.

Methods

This meta-analysis was performed based on the PRISMA recommendations. PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, and Google Scholar databases were searched for all published observational studies that reported the risk of UTI based on BMI categories up to March 2020.

Results

Fourteen (n = 14) articles comprising 19 studies in different populations met our inclusion criteria. The overall analysis showed a significant increased risk of UTI in subjects affected by obesity vs. individuals without obesity (RR = 1.45; 95% CI: 1.28 − 1.63; I2 = 94%), and a non-significant increased risk of UTI in subjects who were overweight (RR = 1.03; 95% CI: 0.98 − 1.10; I2 = 49.6%) and underweight (RR = 0.99; 95% CI: 0.81 − 21; I2 = 0.0%) when compared to subjects who had normal weight. In the stratified analysis, we showed that obesity increased the risk of UTI in females (RR = 1.63; 95% CI: 1.38 − 1.93) and in subjects below 60 years old (RR = 1.53; 95% CI: 1.33 − 1.75).

Conclusion

This systematic review and meta‐analysis recognized a significant relationship between BMI and incidence of UTI in obese vs. non-obese subjects, as well as in females and in individuals below 60 years old.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinical Research, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Habeeb Alhabeeb

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, HealthPlus Fertility and Women’s Health Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

    Saeed Baradwan

  3. Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Student Research Committee, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Hamed Kord-Varkaneh

  4. UKM Medical Molecular Biology Institute, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Shing Cheng Tan & Teck Yew Low

  5. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Osama Alomar, Hany Salem & Ismail Abdulrahman Al-Badawi

  6. Department of Pharmacology, College of Graduate Health Sciences, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA

    Ahmed Abu-Zaid

  7. College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Ahmed Abu-Zaid

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  1. Habeeb Alhabeeb
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Correspondence to Ahmed Abu-Zaid.

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Alhabeeb, H., Baradwan, S., Kord-Varkaneh, H. et al. Association between body mass index and urinary tract infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational cohort studies. Eat Weight Disord 26, 2117–2125 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-020-01101-4

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