A 2011 report from the WHO found that UTIs have contributed to more than 8 million office visits and more than 1 million hospital admissions, for a total annual cost of more than $ 1 billion.
Now, a new study has found that doctors gave the wrong antibiotics to nearly half of the 670,400 people diagnosed with a urinary tract infection. In addition, more than three-quarters of those women were on antibiotic prescriptions longer than medically necessary. According to the study published Wednesday in The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America’s journal Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, long treatment durations – which exceeded clinical guidelines – were more common in rural areas than cities.
“Straightforward antibiotic prescriptions for uncomplicated urinary tract infections are common and have serious implications for the patient and society,” said lead author Anne Mobley Butler, an assistant professor of medicine and surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St., a statement.
“Accumulating evidence suggests that patients have better outcomes if we switch prescribing from broad-acting to narrow-spectrum antibiotics and from longer to shorter durations,” said Butler.
“Promoting optimal use of antimicrobials benefits patients and society by preventing avoidable side effects, microbiome disruption and antibiotic-resistant infections,” she added.
Analysis of insurance data
Researchers analyzed insurance claims for women between the ages of 18 and 44 who were diagnosed with a common form of urinary tract infection between April 2011 and June 2015.
Antibiotic prescriptions given to those women were compared with current clinical guidelines. The researchers found that about 47% of prescriptions were written for antibiotics that did not meet medical recommendations. Women living in rural areas were more likely to be told to use that antibiotic for an “inappropriately long duration of therapy than urban patients,” the study found, even though 76% of all women in the study took antibiotics for too long .
It’s possible, the study said, that rural doctors may not be as well aware of current antibiotic treatment guidelines, or may have given their patients more antibiotics due to the distance required to travel to and from the clinic in case the symptoms persist.
Symptoms and Causes
Urinary tract infections can occur in both men and women of any age, but are more common in women and girls, who have shorter urethras that are closer to the rectum, which makes it easier for bacteria to infect the urinary tract.
Other risk factors include a history of urinary tract infections, menopause, pregnancy, use of spermicides that can alter vaginal bacteria, and an enlarged prostate.
Age is also a factor – many children get UTIs during toilet training because they don’t know which direction to clear – while the elderly are at high risk because they have more trouble emptying their bladder completely as they age.
Symptoms of urinary tract infections include frequent urination that is painful or burns, bloody urine, low stomach cramps, and the need to urinate even after you just left.
Kidney infection is another type of urinary tract infection that can be more serious if not treated. Symptoms include fever, chills, nausea or vomiting, and lower back pain.
Symptoms of a UTI can mimic those of many sexually transmitted diseases, so a urine test may be needed to determine the cause. Since UTIs are caused by bacteria, they are treated with antibiotics.
What to do
The CDC says you can prevent urinary tract infections by drinking plenty of water and urinating often, taking douches instead of baths, limiting the use of douches, sprays, or powders in the vaginal area, and making sure that you do so after any sexual activity. urinates.
Young girls should learn to wipe from front to back during toilet training.