title: [Urinary tract infections.]
abstract: Urinary tract infections (UTI) are amongst the most frequent bacterial infections and therefore are responsible for a significant fraction of antibiotic use, thus carrying a relevant social and economic burden. UTI may present as benign, uncomplicated cystitis or severe, life-threatening urosepsis. Due to the heterogeneity of UTI the European Section of Infections in Urology (ESIU) has introduced a phenotypical classification, based upon the clinical presentation, the risk factors and the antibiotic susceptibility of the causative pathogens. Presence of risk factors is a key point and could change dramatically the course of UTI. In scenario of uroseptic patients, early diagnosis and therapy are mandatory and a successful decompression of the obstructed urinary tract is predictor of survival. The multidisciplinary approach and a timely microbiological characterization are critical in this context.
authors.affiliation: Clinica Urologica, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Roma - Italy.
authors.forename: Nazario
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Foschi
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bientinesi
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Palermo
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.forename: Pier Francesco
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Bassi
authors.forename: Emilio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sacco