An Epidemiologic Study of Bacteriuria and Blood Pressure among Nuns and Working Women

To study the relation between urinary-tract infection and blood pressure, the frequency of these disorders was determined in two populations. In 2302 white working women, bacteriuria was, for successive twenty-year age periods, 12.8, 2.8 and 1.4 times higher than in 2882 white nuns. In Negro women, the differences were even greater. In white working women, the prevalence of bacteriuria was not significantly affected by number of pregnancies, form of menstrual protection or the use of oral contraceptives. Both systolic and diastolic blood pressure were lower for all ages among nuns than controls, findings not explainable by differences in body weight or use of oral contraceptives. Bacteriuric as compared to nonbacteriuric women had higher systolic blood pressures, but differences were not significant. Although these observations support the notion that urinary-tract infections may have an effect on blood pressure, they do not prove that a causal relation exists. Other explanations, such as "way of life," may be involved.