Copyright
©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
Prolonged impacts of COVID-19-associated cystitis: A study on long-term consequences
Sophie Wittenberg, Jack Vercnocke, Michael Chancellor, Sorabh Dhar, Aron Liaw, Steven Lucas, Nivedita Dhar
Sophie Wittenberg, Jack Vercnocke, Aron Liaw, Steven Lucas, Department of Urology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI 48201, United States
Michael Chancellor, Department of Urology, Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, MI 48067, United States
Sorabh Dhar, Infectious Disease, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI 48201, United States
Sorabh Dhar, Infectious Disease, John D. Dingell VA Medical Center, Detroit, MI 48201, United States
Sorabh Dhar, Infectious Disease, Detroit Medical Center, Detroit, MI 48201, United States
Aron Liaw, Steven Lucas, Nivedita Dhar, Department of Urology, John D. Dingell VA Medical Center, Detroit, MI 48201, United States
Nivedita Dhar, Department of Urology, Detroit Medical Center, Detroit, MI 48201, United States
Author contributions: Wittenberg S, Vercnocke J, Chancellor M, and Dhar S contributed to design, data collection, analysis and interpretation of results, and manuscript preparation; Liaw A and Lucas S contributed to analysis and interpretation of results and manuscript prep; Dhar N contributed to study conception, design, data collection, analysis and interpretation of results, and manuscript preparation.
Institutional review board statement: The study was reviewed and approved by the Wayne State University Institutional Review Board (Protocol Number: IRB-20-04-2126).
Informed consent statement: All study participants or their legal guardian provided informed written consent about personal and medical data collection prior to study enrolment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors have no relevant conflict of interests to disclose.
Data sharing statement: The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See:
https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/ Corresponding author: Nivedita Dhar, MD, Doctor, Department of Urology, John D. Dingell VA Medical Center, 4646 John R Street, Detroit, MI 48201, United States. ec0362@wayne.edu
Received: August 28, 2023
Peer-review started: August 28, 2023
First decision: November 1, 2023
Revised: November 6, 2023
Accepted: November 17, 2023
Article in press: November 17, 2023
Published online: November 26, 2023
BACKGROUND
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 virus is an international health concern with substantial morbidity and mortality. COVID-associated cystitis (CAC), presents as new onset or exacerbated urinary symptoms, resembling overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms.
AIM
To examines the long-term outcomes of patients with CAC in the context of Long COVID.
METHODS
A cohort of 350 patients admitted to Detroit Hospitals with COVID-19 between May and December 2020, displaying CAC symptoms following discharge, was prospectively followed. Initial urologic evaluations occurred at 10-14 wk and were repeated at 21-28 mo post-discharge. Symptoms were managed conservatively, employing behavioral modifications and standard OAB medications. Participants completed surveys assessing urinary symptoms and quality of life (QoL) at both time points. The primary outcome was the Urology Care Foundation Overactive Bladder Assessment Tool.
RESULTS
87% of the final cohort (n = 310) reported symptom improvement at 21-28 mo post-discharge. Patients with new onset CAC symptoms showed a median decrease of 9-10 points in OAB and QoL scores, while those with existing symptoms experienced a decrease of 6 points. Overall, 95.4% of patients with new onset symptoms reported symptom improvement at follow-up, contrasting with 60.7% among those with existing symptoms.
CONCLUSION
This study presents the first long-term follow-up of adult patients with CAC, revealing a promising prognosis with conservative management measures in the context of Long COVID. These findings provide reassurance to patients regarding symptom resolution and underscore the need for further research into this evolving aspect of COVID-19's impact on urological health.
Core Tip: Coronavirus disease (COVID)-associated cystitis (CAC), presents as new onset or exacerbated urinary symptoms that may resemble overactive bladder symptoms. To our knowledge, this study is the first long-term follow-up of adult patients with CAC. Our data reveals a promising prognosis with conservative management measures in the context of Long COVID. These findings provide reassurance to patients regarding symptom resolution and underscore the need for further research into this evolving aspect of COVID-19's impact on urological health.
