Infective arthritis secondary to bladder outflow obstruction.

We describe two cases of septic arthritis occurring in association with lower urinary tract infection in elderly men. In both cases the organism isolated from both the joint and the urine was Staphylococcus aureus. Further investigation of the urinary tract in both individuals identified bladder outflow obstruction secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia predisposing them to infection. The urinary tract should be suspected as a focus of infection in septic arthritis in elderly men and further investigation of the urinary system may disclose a surgically correctable lesion.