Introduction: Financial toxicity had been applied in oncologic fields due to the cost of treatments and the impact on quality of life and outcomes. Given the chronic and debilitating nature of recurrent urinary tract infections (rUTIs), we sought to gain an understanding of the financial strain associated with this condition. Methods: Following IRB approval, women with rUTIs who presented to an academic center clinic were recruited. Patients with >2 symptomatic UTIs in the last 6 months or >3 UTIs in the last 12 months were eligible. Demographic, income, and clinical data were collected. Validated tools were administered: Health literacy screener (BRIEF) (higher score, better literacy); UTI Symptom Assessment questionnaire (UTISA) (higher score, worse UTI symptoms; Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) (lower score, more sexual dysfunction); Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) (higher score, worse anxiety/depression); and Comprehensive Scoring for Financial Toxicity Tool (COST) (lower score, more financial toxicity). Results: From 4/2021 to 6/2022, 61 women met study criteria, which provides an 80% power to detect mild correlations. Most patients were white (97%) and non-Hispanic (90%). 84% were post-menopausal with a median age of 67.5 (IQR 56.8-73.3). 70% were married and 46% had a bachelor’s degree or higher. The median annual household income was $90,000. 44% of patients had UTIs for >10 years. 80% of patients were currently or had taken a daily prophylactic antibiotic in the past while 13% required IV antibiotics and 9% required an inpatient admission. Most patients had mild or no financial toxicity, but 18% had moderate toxicity and 5% had severe toxicity. According to the COST summary question, 46% reported that their illness caused some degree of financial hardship on their family (Table). Conclusions: Higher financial toxicity of rUTIS is associated with lower health literacy, worse anxiety/depression, younger age, and worse UTI symptom severity. Being retired and married/partnered seem to provide a protective effect, as does Medicare insurance coverage. A barrier to patient counseling is the provider’s understanding of the direct and indirect costs and the financial toxicity of conditions. Therefore, it is critical that this information be obtained for both benign and malignant conditions. SOURCE OF Funding: STU-2021-0218
