Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most frequent clinical bacterial infections in women, accounting for nearly 25% of all infections.
Around 50-60% of women will develop UTIs in their lifetimes. Escherichia coli is the organism that causes UTIs in most patients. Recurrent UTIs (RUTI) are mainly caused by reinfection by the same pathogen. Having frequent sexual intercourse is one of the greatest risk factors for RUTIs. In a subgroup of individuals with coexisting morbid conditions, complicated RUTIs can lead to upper tract infections or urosepsis. Although the initial treatment is antimicrobial therapy, use of different prophylactic regimens and alternative strategies are available to reduce exposure to antibiotics.
Written by:
Al-Badr A, Al-Shaikh G. Are you the author?
King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Reference: Sultan Qaboos Univ Med J. 2013 Aug;13(3):359-67.
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 23984019
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