In a nutshell
This study examined the effect that allergy or resistance to an antibiotic has on choosing treatment for women with recurrent urinary tract infections. The study found that allergy and resistance to antibiotics strongly limited the choice of treatment.
Some background
Recurrent urinary tract infections (rUTI – an infection of the urethra/bladder that keeps coming back) is a common problem among women. They are usually easy to treat with antibiotics. However, the bacteria causing the infections can become resistant to common antibiotics. Also, some women may be allergic to the preferred antibiotic. This may limit the choice of treatment for rUTIs.
Methods & findings
86 women with rUTIs were studied. Urine was tested for antibiotic resistance/allergy to 3 different antibiotics. These included fluoroquinolones (such as norfloxacin [Noroxin]), trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX [Bactrim]), and nitrofurantoin (Macrobid).
33% of women were allergic to TMP-SMX, 16% to nitrofurantoin, and 14% to fluroquinolones. 29% of women were resistant to TMP-SMX, 14% resistant to nitrofurantoin, and 34% to fluroquinolones. 5 to 15% of women were both allergic and resistant to each antibiotic.
Having an allergy or resistance to one antibiotic significantly increased the risk of being allergic or resistant to another antibiotic. Compared to women responding to treatment with TMP-SMX or fluoroquinolone, those that were allergic/resistance were about 5 times more likely to be resistant to another antibiotic.
The bottom line
The study concluded that many first-choice antibiotics are not available to women with rUTIs with an allergy and/or resistance.
What’s next?
Talk to your doctor about choice of antibiotic for rUTIS.
Published By :
Urology
Date :
Nov 28, 2017
