TABLE 5.
Prospective, randomized trials of treatment (T) or nontreatment (NT) of asymptomatic bacteriuria in patients at risk of complicated urinary tract infection (UTI)
| Population (reference) | Patients studied | Study duration | Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elderly institutionalized men (15) | 16 T, 20 NT | 24 months | No differences in symptomatic infection or mortality |
| Elderly institutionalized women (37) | 26 T, 24 NT | 12 months | No differences in symptomatic UTI, mortality; with therapy, adverse drug effects increase, and resistance with reinfection increases |
| Elderly institutionalized women (38) | 358 | 8.5 years | No difference in mortality |
| Elderly institutionalized women (39) | 33 T, 38 NT | 3 days | No improvement in chronic incontinence with antibiotic treatment |
| Elderly women, geriatric apartment (40) | 63 T, 61 NT | 6 months | No significant decrease in symptomatic UTI with treatment |
| Intermittent catheter (41) | 27 NT | Mean 42 days | Similar rates of recurrent symptomatic UTI in treated and not treated |
| 19 T | Mean 44.4 days | ||
| Chronic indwelling catheter (42) | 17 T | Mean 32 weeks | Infection: 0.63/week for T and 0.61/week for NT; |
| 18 NT | Mean 26.5 weeks | Fever: 0.18 days/week for T and 0.22 days/week for NT; | |
| Strains resistant to cephalexin: 64% for T and 25% for NT | |||
| Women, postcatheter removal (43) | 70 T, 42 NT | 6 weeks | Therapy significantly decreases symptomatic infection within 14 days for women younger than 60 years of age |
| Diabetic women (44) | 55 T, 50 NT | 36 months | No difference in symptomatic UTI or complications of diabetes; increased adverse antimicrobial effects with therapy |