Investigating Causal Links Between Uterine Prolapse, Urinary Tract Infections, and Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms: A Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Study.

BACKGROUND

Uterine prolapse (UP), a subtype of pelvic organ prolapse (POP), frequently coexists with urinary tract infections (UTIs) and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), including urinary frequency (UF), urinary incontinence (UI), and urinary retention (UR), is a common pelvic floor dysfunction disorder in women. However, the causal relationship between these conditions remains controversial. This study aims to fill this gap by applying two-sample Mendelian randomization.

METHODS

A two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study was conducted to genetically evaluate associations between UP and UTIs/LUTS. The inverse variance weighting (IVW) method served as the primary analysis, supplemented by sensitivity analyses to assess the validity and reliability of results.

RESULTS

MR analysis suggested a potential causal link between UP and increased risk of UTIs (p = 0.048). No causal associations were observed between UP and UF, UI, or UR. Sensitivity analyses confirmed stability of results, with no evidence of heterogeneity or horizontal pleiotropy among instrumental variables (IVs).

CONCLUSION

UP may act as a risk factor for UTIs, though further validation is needed given the borderline statistical significance. No clear causal relationships were identified between UP and UF, UI, or UR.