Table 3.
Results of subgroup analyses and accuracy of combinations of both tests of nitrites and leucocyte-esterase in urine dipsticks in the diagnosis of urinary tract infections or bacteriuria (subgroups of studies without information about the study characteristic at issue are not shown).
| Study characteristic | N | Sensitivity(95%CI) | Specificity(95%CI) | DOR(95%CI) |
| Nitrites and Leucocyte-esterase: one or both positive (N = 35) | ||||
| CUT-OFF CRITERION STANDARD#* | ||||
| ≥103 mcu/ml | 2 | 0.45 (0.00–1.00) | 0.62 (0.00–1.00) | 4 (0.8 – 15) |
| ≥104 mcu/ml | 11 | 0.67 (0.53–0.87) | 0.78 (0.73–0.84) | 12 (7 – 23) |
| ≥105 mcu/ml | 27 | 0.80 (0.76–0.86) | 0.80 (0.76–0.84) | 25 (17 – 38) |
| POPULATION# | ||||
| general population | 12 | 0.75 (0.61–0.93) | 0.70 (0.63–0.78) | 12 (6 – 22) |
| children | 9 | 0.83 (0.78–0.89) | 0.85 (0.79–0.91) | 46 (23 – 95) |
| pregnant women | 5 | 0.68 (0.58–0.78) | 0.87 (0.81–0.92) | 17 (10 – 30) |
| elderly | 4 | 0.82 (0.74–0.92) | 0.71 (0.55–0.71) | 16 (8 – 34) |
| surgery | 2 | 0.86 (0.84–0.88) | 0.86 (0.84–0.87) | 43 (22 – 85) |
| urology | 3 | 0.88 (0.76–1.00) | 0.87 (0.83–0.91) | 52 (48 – 56) |
| SETTING | ||||
| family physician | 2 | 0.90 (0.89–0.92) | 0.65 (0.61–0.69) | 18 (13 – 25) |
| outpatient | 13 | 0.75 (0.69–0.82) | 0.82 (0.77–0.87) | 18 (12 – 27) |
| emergency | 1 | 0.92 (0.86–0.98) | 0.83 (0.81–0.85) | 54 (25 – 117) |
| inpatient | 19 | 0.79 (0.69–0.91) | 0.77 (0.70–0.84) | 25 (14 – 46) |
| CLINICAL INFORMATION# | ||||
| Absent | 11 | 0.73 (0.58–0.91) | 0.75 (0.78–0.82) | 13 (7 – 25) |
| Present | 24 | 0.81 (0.77–0.87) | 0.79 (0.73–0.85) | 28 (18 – 44) |
| BRAND DIPSTICK# | ||||
| Multistix | 26 | 0.79 (0.71–0.87) | 0.77 (0.72–0.82) | 21 (13 – 33) |
| Chemstrips | 6 | 0.73 (0.61–0.87) | 0.86 (0.81–0.91) | 24 (12 – 50) |
| Combur | 1 | 0.78 (0.69–0.88) | 0.97 (0.96–0.97) | 102 (77 – 136) |
| NITRITES AND LEUCOCYTE-ESTERASE: BOTH POSITIVE (N = 14) | ||||
| CUT-OFF CRITERION STANDARD#* | ||||
| ≥103 mcu/ml | 1 | 0.45 (0.29–0.61) | 0.62 (0.50–0.74) | 1 (0.6 – 3) |
| ≥104 mcu/ml | 3 | 0.31 (0.16–0.60) | 0.96 (0.93–0.99) | 14 (5 – 41) |
| ≥105 mcu/ml | 12 | 0.44 (0.32–0.60) | 0.96 (0.92–1.00) | 75 (31 – 185) |
| POPULATION# | ||||
| general population | 3 | 0.45 (0.27–0.75) | 0.99 (0.98–1.00) | 15 (7 – 32) |
| children | 6 | 0.46 (0.30–0.71) | 0.94 (0.94–0.94) | 151 (51 – 448) |
| pregnant women | 1 | 0.17 (0.02–0.32) | 1.00 (0.99–1.00) | 429 (22 – 8210) |
| elderly | 1 | 0.63 (0.41–0.85) | 0.98 (0.92–1.00) | 89 (14 – 70) |
| surgery | 1 | 0.72 (0.64–0.80) | 0.77 (0.74–0.80) | 9 (6 – 13) |
| spinal | 1 | 0.47 (0.37–0.57) | 0.99 (0.97–1.00) | 72 (13 – 394) |
DOR: diagnostic odds ratio; #: DOR significant different between several subgroups; *: when in a study different cut-off points were used within one study population, the analyses were included as different studies