[A prospective descriptive study on the practice of management of urinary tract infections by general practitioners in Italy: epidemiology (Part I)].
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this prospective descriptive study was to draw the picture of the diagnostic and therapeutic pathways of general practitioners (GPs) in the practice of management of urinary tract infections (UTIs) in Italy. The study results are published in two separate papers. We report here the epidemiological data collected on the prevalence of UTIs and their etiology.


METHODS
A total of 2.696 GPs were requested to fulfill a questionnaire on their perception of the prevalence of UTIs and their habits in the management of patients either before (IVU1 study, 1.111 GPs) or after (IVU2 study, 1.585 GPs) a specific training course. Epidemiological data from both studies were merged and analyzed.


RESULTS
The perceived prevalence of UTIs among the GPs was 1.7% ambulatory-related patients/GP/month, leading to an average of 18.7 UTIs cases/GP/month. UTIs were higher among women (75%) with respect to men (25%), being acute uncomplicated cystitis in women the more prevalent (nearly 50% of female ambulatory-related patients). E. coli was considered the most frequently isolated bacterial pathogen in urine.


CONCLUSIONS
The epidemiological results of this study contribute to assess the prevalence and etiology of UTIs among Italian outpatients. These data may be helpful for urologists in the management of community-acquired UTIs.
Bosisio
Virginio
V
Società Nazionale Aggiornamento Medico Interdisciplinare (SNAMID), Milano, Italy.
Stella
Roberto
R
Castagna
Stefano
S
Marchetti
Federico
F
D003625:Data Collection; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000628:therapy*