Burden of illness among intermittent catheter users with non-neurogenic urinary retention in Denmark

Background: Urinary retention (UR) caused by non-neurogenic conditions is a frequent disorder often requiring the use of intermittent catheterization (IC). This study examines the burden of illness among subjects with an IC indication due to non-neurogenic UR.

Methods: Health-care utilization and costs were extracted from Danish registers (2002-2016) related to the first year after IC training and compared to matched controls.

Results: A total of 4,758 subjects with UR due to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and 3,618 subjects with UR due to other non-neurological conditions were identified. Total health-care utilization and costs per patient-year were significantly higher compared to matched controls (BPH: 12,406 EUR vs 4,363, p < 0.000; other non-neurogenic causes: 12,497 EUR vs 3,920, p < 0.000) and driven mainly by hospitalizations. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) were the most frequent bladder complications often requiring hospitalization. The inpatient costs per patient-year for UTIs were significantly higher for cases than controls (BPH: 479 EUR vs 31, p < 0.000; other non-neurogenic causes: 434 EUR vs 25, p < 0.000).

Conclusions: The burden of illness caused by non-neurogenic UR with need for IC was high and essentially driven by hospitalizations. Further research should clarify if additional treatment measures may reduce the burden of illness in subjects suffering from non-neurogenic UR using IC.