title: Equal symptomatic outcome after antibacterial treatment of acute lower urinary tract infection and the acute urethral syndrome in adult women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare symptomatic outcome after antibacterial treatment in patients with acute lower urinary tract infection and the acute urethral syndrome.
  
  
  METHODS
  A multipractice study; patients registering symptoms prospectively for 3 days by means of a diary.
  
  
  METHODS
  General practices in western Norway.
  
  
  METHODS
  153 adult women with acute lower urinary tract symptoms.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patient's prospective registration of symptom distribution and duration after starting antibacterial treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty-one patients with acute lower urinary tract infection and 58 patients with the acute urethral syndrome were included. There were no differences in age, history of urinary tract infection, actual symptoms, or symptom duration between the groups. Symptom duration was nearly identical in the two groups among those who became asymptomatic during the 3 days of registration, ranging from 1.2 days for urgency to 1.6 days for dysuria. Almost half of the patients in each group still had some symptom left after 3 days.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Symptomatic outcome was equal after antibacterial treatment whether the patient was classified as having acute cystitis or the acute urethral syndrome. Consequently, the general practitioner may rely on symptoms alone when starting antibacterial treatment in adult women with suspected cystitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Primary Health Care, University of Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baerheim
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Digranes
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hunskaar
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013577:Syndrome; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014522:Urethral Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents