| Urinary Tract Infections | ||||||||||
| Difference in Signs and Symptoms between Acute Cystitis and Pyelonephritis | ||||||||||
| Signs and Symptoms | Cystitis | Pyelonephritis | ||||||||
| Fever | Absent | Usually present | ||||||||
| Urinary urgency/frequency | Present | Sometimes present | ||||||||
| Flank pain | Absent | Sometimes present | ||||||||
| Vomiting | Absent | Often present | ||||||||
| Pyuria | Always present | Always present | ||||||||
| Bacteriuria | Always present | Always present | ||||||||
| Positive blood cultures | Absent | Often present | ||||||||
| Important to determine between acute cystitis and pyelonephritis | ||||||||||
| Treatment | ||||||||||
| Acute Uncomplicated Cystitis | ||||||||||
| Single dose therapy not recommended anymore | ||||||||||
| Three day therapy favored in uncomplicated cases | ||||||||||
| Treatment with either Ciprofloxacin 250-500mg bid or Bactrim DS bid for three days | ||||||||||
| Patients with severe dysuria: Phenazopyridine 200mg tid for 1-2 days is recommended | ||||||||||
| Acute Complicated Cystitis | ||||||||||
| Considered complicated if one or more of the following exist: male sex, elderly, hospital-acquired, indwelling urinary catheter, pregnancy, structural abnormality of urinary tract, functional abnormality of urinary tract, recent UTI, symptoms persist more than 7 days, recent antibiotic use, immunocompromised, or diabetes mellitus | ||||||||||
| Treatment with either Ciprofloxacin 250-500 bid or Bactrim DS bid for 7-14 days | ||||||||||
| Acute Pyelonephritis | ||||||||||
| Hospitalization recommended if patient has any of the following features | ||||||||||
| Diagnosis of acute pyelonephritis uncertain, non-compliance with treatment, inability to maintain oral hydration or take oral medications, presents with severe illness, or pregnancy | ||||||||||
| Treatment with IV antibiotics initially for hospital-bound patients is recommended | ||||||||||
| Enterococcus concern: treat with ampicillin+gentamicin or zosyn initially | ||||||||||
| Enterococcus not a concern: treat with ceftriaxone or aminoglycoside initially | ||||||||||
| then switch to oral medication, usually ciprofloxacin 250-500mg bid for 14 days | ||||||||||
| Special Considerations/Conditions | ||||||||||
| Nosocomial Pyelonephritis | ||||||||||
| usually occurs in debilitated patients and often have higher rates of drug resistance | ||||||||||
| treat with ceftriaxone with gentamicin for 14 days initially | ||||||||||
| if ineffective, treat according to blood cultures | ||||||||||
| Recurrent Infections | ||||||||||
| defined as more than three infections per year | ||||||||||
| treatment is either prophylatic bactrim SS or nitrofurantion daily for about 6 months | ||||||||||
| recommend voiding after intercourse to reduce infection rate | ||||||||||
| Fungal Infections | ||||||||||
| Treat if patient is symptomatic/febrile or immunocompromised | ||||||||||
| Treat with fluconazole 100mg daily for 7 days | ||||||||||
| Pregnancy | ||||||||||
| Treat with cephalexin 250-500mg qid for 7 days | ||||||||||
| Return to Main Index | ||||||||||