OBJECTIVES:  To assess whether the presence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) increases the risk of urinary tract infections (UTI) in men and women. METHODS: In a retrospective cohort study, patients ≥18 years with a diagnosis of T2DM or prescriptions for antihyperglycaemic therapy were identified within MarketScan, a US-based insurance claims database.  Date of first T2DM diagnosis or prescription in 2008 was the index date.  Patients without T2DM were age and gender matched to those with T2DM.  Eligible patients had medical records for 1 year prior to (baseline) and 1 year after (follow up) the index date.  UTI diagnosis during follow up was assessed with ICD-9 codes.  Logistic regression adjusted for patient characteristics and comorbid conditions was used to assess the likelihood of experiencing UTI. RESULTS: A total of 106,623 matched pairs were selected.  The mean age at index date was 56 years and 50% were male.  Patients with T2DM had more pre-existing comorbid conditions compared to patients without T2DM.  In the 1-year follow up, more patients with T2DM were diagnosed with UTI (12.9% vs. 7.7%; p<0.0001) compared to non-T2DM patients.  The proportion of women with T2DM experiencing UTI was greater (18.3% vs. 11.8%; p<0.0001) than for women without T2DM.  A lower proportion of men had UTI, but the difference between T2DM and no T2DM remained and was significant (7.6% vs. 3.6%; p<0.0001).  In a logistic regression, patients with T2DM had a greater likelihood of experiencing UTI during follow up (adjusted odds ratio = 1.71 [95% CI 1.66, 1.77]).  For each gender alone, the odds were still significantly greater for patients with T2DM.  Measurements of glycemic control were not available and thus their influence on UTI risk could not be assessed.    CONCLUSIONS: Patients with T2DM were more likely to experience a UTI compared to patients without T2DM.