Relationship between the coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19) vaccines and the development of new lower urinary tract symptoms: A cross-sectional study on medical students.

Abstract Background: We created an Internet-based survey of a COVID-19 vaccinated young population to evaluate the occurrence of urinary tract symptoms after getting vaccinated. Methods: From February to April 2022 a cross-sectional survey was conducted among medical students at six medical colleges in Jordan using a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of four sections: respondents’ basic and medical information, COVID-19 vaccines information, development of new symptoms, and IPSS scores. The difference between groups was assessed using Kruskal-Wallis-test, Pearson’s chi-squared test, and Mann-Whitney-U test. The increase in IPSS-scores pre- and post-vaccines was tested by Wilcoxon-Signed-Ranks-test.Results: A total of 341 valid responses were collected, from whom 340 had got a COVID-19 vaccine. The incidence of occurrence of new dysuria was 6.2%, gross hematuria 1.8%, and LUTS 7.6%; without significant difference between vaccine types. Demographic data, the number of vaccine doses, previous medical and surgical conditions, and being on immunosuppressant medications did not significantly increase the incidence of symptoms after taking the vaccine. Conclusions: There was no relationship between taking COVID-19-vaccine and the development of new lower urinary tract symptoms. In addition, vaccine types did not differ in terms of dysuria, gross hematuria, and other lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). COVID-19 vaccines may increase IPSS-scores, especially for urgency, but without affecting the bothersome scores. Thus COVID-19 vaccines are safe from a urological point of view and the development of a new lower urinary tract symptom should be investigated appropriately without presuming that it could be from the vaccine.