URINARY-TRACT INFECTION - AN OVERVIEW

Urinary tract infection (UTI) remains very common. As many as 50% of w omen report having had at least one UTI in their lifetimes. Urinary tr act infection is the most common cause of infection in nursing home re sidents and the most common source of bacteremia in the elderly popula tion, Urinary tract infection occurs in patients with structurally or functionally abnormal urinary tracts (complicated UTI) and in patients with anatomically normal urinary tracts (uncomplicated UTI), Escheric hia coli (E coli) is the most common cause of uncomplicated UTI, where as antibiotic-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, enterococci, and Candida s pecies often are the causes of complicated UTI. In this article we rev iew current concepts of the epidemiology, microbiology, pathophysiolog y, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment of urinary tract infection.