Rushing to the ER with burning pee is pretty much the opposite of awesome, but it’s even less so when doctors misdiagnose you.
Unfortunately, it’s happening to a lot of women, according to a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology. And here’s the kicker: They’re commonly misdiagnosing patients who have sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) with urinary tract infections (UTIs).
For the study, researchers observed the diagnoses of UTIs and STDs in women in emergency rooms over two months and found a ton of interesting information. Of the 264 women studied, 66 percent were diagnosed as having a UTI, and nearly 60 percent of those were treated without performing a urine culture to more accurately determine what was wrong with them. (Really, ER docs?)
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Researchers also discovered that 23 percent of the women who visited the ER had at least one type of STD, and 37 percent of them didn’t receive treatment for STDs up to seven days after visiting the ER.
And get this: Nearly 65 percent of those women who had an STD were diagnosed with a UTI instead.
Er...what?
While it’s shocking to us, Jason S. James, M.D., chairman of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Baptist Hospital of Miami, says these findings are “not all that surprising.”
He breaks it down for us: First, many STDs have symptoms that mimic UTIs. Second, diagnostic tests that can give results at the same time as the visit aren’t readily available for a lot of types of infection. So while your gyno or a urologist may test you for an STD and call you when the results are back from the lab, ERs don’t work that way.
And third, women almost always test positive for UTIs when they give a urine sample because they’re usually contaminated by normal bacteria that live in the vagina. “ER doctors will then recommend treating this ‘UTI’ in order to avoid potential worsening of an infection,” says James.
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There’s also the rush factor in ERs, says urologist David Kaufman, M.D., of New York’s Central Park Urology. “In an office setting, the physician-patient interaction is more personal, less hurried, and more complete than what is typically encountered in an emergency department setting,” he says. “I would expect better outcomes as a result.”
So what are these STDs that have UTI-like symptoms? Experts say there are several of them, but genital herpes, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis are the most likely to cause the frequent need to go, as well as burning pee.
If you suspect that an STD might be the problem and you have to go to the ER, speak up. Some STDs are treated with antibiotics, so they could help you right then. And if you’ve been to the ER for burning pee and the frequent need to go and aren’t feeling better after 24 to 48 hours on antibiotics, call your doctor and get in for a follow-up.
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Unfortunately (or fortunately), guys probably don’t have the same problem. Even though the study only looked at women, Kaufman says it’s just easier to misdiagnose STDs and UTIs in women versus men. “The discharge in men associated with STDs is more obvious and often the presenting complaint, making the diagnosis of STDs more straightforward in male patients,” he says.
Lucky guys.
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