Prevalence of Asymptomatic Bacteriuria and Associated Host Factors in Women with Diabetes Mellitus

A prospective study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of significant asymptomatic bacteriuria in adult women with diabetes mellitus attending endocrinology clinics at two tertiary-care university-affiliated teaching hospitals. In addition, host factors of the patients were correlated with bacteriuria. The overall prevalence of bacteriuria was 7.9% (85 cases per 1,072 women). Absolute urinary leukocyte (white blood cell) counts were ⩾10/mm3 in 77.6% (66) of the 85 bacteriuric women vs. 23.7% (234) of the 987 nonbacteriuric women (P < .001). Bacteriuric women were significantly more likely than nonbacteriuric women to have non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, longer duration of diabetes, neuropathy, and heart disease. Aboriginals had bacteriuria at a significantly higher prevalence rate than that among nonaboriginals (19.7% [15 of 76] vs. 7.0% [70 of 996], respectively; P < .0001), were more likely to have occult upper urinary tract infection (antibody-coated bacteria positivity: 53% [8 of 15] vs. 20% [10 of 50], respectively; P = .016), and had significantly lower urinary leukocyte counts, whether they were bacteriuric or not (P < .05). Multivariate analysis identified duration of diabetes and aboriginal origin as independent risk factors for the presence of bacteriuria.