Optimal management of urinary tract infections in older people

Louise A. Beveridge, Peter G. Davey, Gabby Phillips, Marion E. T. McMurdo

    Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

    69 Citations (Scopus)
    3818 Downloads (Pure)

    Abstract

    Urinary tract infections (UTI) occur frequently in older people. Unfortunately, UTI is commonly overdiagnosed and overtreated on the basis of nonspecific clinical signs and symptoms. The diagnosis of a UTI in the older patient requires the presence of new urinary symptoms, with or without systemic symptoms. Urinalysis is commonly used to diagnose infection in this population, however, the evidence for its use is limited. There is overwhelming evidence that asymptomatic bacteriuria should not be treated. Catheter associated urinary tract infection accounts for a significant amount of hospital-associated infection. Indwelling urinary catheters should be avoided where possible and alternatives sought. The use of narrow spectrum antimicrobial agents for urinary tract infection is advocated. Local guidelines are now widely used to reflect local resistance patterns and available agents. Guidelines need to be updated to reflect changes in antimicrobial prescribing and a move from broad to narrow spectrum antimicrobials.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)173-180
    Number of pages8
    JournalClinical Interventions in Aging
    Volume6
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2011

    Keywords

    • urinary tract infection
    • elderly
    • review
    • INSTITUTIONALIZED ELDERLY-PEOPLE
    • RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED-TRIAL
    • NURSING-HOME RESIDENTS
    • TERM-CARE FACILITIES
    • ASYMPTOMATIC BACTERIURIA
    • EMPIRICAL THERAPY
    • DISEASES SOCIETY
    • CRANBERRY JUICE
    • WOMEN
    • DIAGNOSIS

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Optimal management of urinary tract infections in older people'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this