Coronavirus Infection of the Urinary Bladder and Lower Urinary Tract: A Review and Update

COVID-19 infection does affect males and females. Even though the commonest manifestations of COVID-19 infection tend to be related to symptoms associated with the respiratory tract, many other organs of the body also tend to be affected and COVID-19 infection of these other organs could manifest contemporaneously with symptoms of the respiratory tract system in addition to symptoms of the affected organs. At times COVID-19 may initially manifest solely related to non-respiratory tract organs and because the symptoms are non-specific without a high index of suspicion, the diagnosis of COVID-19 infection may be missed initially or there may be delay in the diagnosis which would tend to lead to spreading of the disease. Some of the manifestations of COVID-19 infection of the urinary bladder may include: Lower urinary tract symptoms of urinary frequency, and or urinary urgency, and or nocturia, and or urinary incontinence, or on rare occasions non-visible or visible haematuria, or acute retention of urine. The aforementioned symptoms may occur as De novo (new-onset) symptoms alone or they may be associated with or without fever, with or without respiratory tract symptoms. Some individuals who already have lower urinary tract symptoms could experience worsening of their previous lower urinary tract symptoms and if the clinician does not have a high index of suspicion for the possible development of COVID-19 infection, and the clinician does blame the symptoms on benign prostatic hyperplasia then the diagnosis could be missed or delayed. If the COVID-19 cystitis is associated with COVID-19 infection of the male genital tract then some of the patients could experience scrotal discomfort, swelling of the scrotum, erythema of the scrotum, or low-flow priapism or clinical and radiology imaging features of acute orchitis, or acute epididymitis, or acute epididymo-orchitis. However, if the lower urinary tract symptoms are associated with respiratory tract symptoms all clinicians globally are aware of the fact that a high index of suspicion for COVID-19 infection should be exercised. What is important is that every clinician and every individual should be made aware of the fact that the development of De novo lower urinary tract symptoms or sudden onset of worsening lower urinary tract symptoms should be regarded as possibly due to COVID-19 infection and appropriate tests should be undertaken to confirm or negate the diagnosis of COVID-19 infection quickly. Diagnosis of COVID-19 infection of the urinary bladder can be confirmed the undertaking of various COVID-19 infection tests but COVID-19 PCR test has tended to be a common test that most people use globally.