title: Therapy vs no therapy for bacteriuria in elderly ambulatory nonhospitalized women.
abstract: This prospective randomized study was undertaken to determine the efficacy of antimicrobial therapy compared with no therapy for bacteriuria in elderly ambulatory nonhospitalized women. Sixty-one women (mean age, 85.8 years) with bacteriuria were in the no therapy control group and 63 women (mean age, 85.8 years) with bacteriuria were in the therapy group; none had symptoms of urinary tract infection. One short course of antimicrobial therapy achieved a cure rate of 68.3% (43 of 63 women cured) two weeks after treatment. During the six-month follow-up period, ten (16.4%) of 61 women in the no therapy group and five (7.9%) of 63 women in the therapy group developed symptomatic urinary tract infection. At the time of six-month follow-up, 19 (34.5%) of 55 women in the no therapy group and 35 (63.6%) of 55 women in the therapy group did not have bacteriuria. We conclude that for asymptomatic bacteriuria in elderly ambulatory nonhospitalized women, short-course antimicrobial therapy is effective at two-week follow-up and that antimicrobial therapy can eliminate bacteriuria in most of these women for at least a six-month period.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001437:Bacteriuria / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002433:Cefaclor / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004755:Enterobacteriaceae / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D009026:Mortality; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011897:Random Allocation; D012008:Recurrence; D014295:Trimethoprim / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D002433:Cefaclor; D014295:Trimethoprim