URINARY-TRACT INFECTIONS IN PRIMARY BILIARY-CIRRHOSIS AND OTHER CHRONIC LIVER-DISEASES

In a study to determine the prevalence of urinary tract infections (UT I) in primary biliary cirrhosis, midstream specimens of urine from 97 females with primary biliary cirrhosis and 85 females with other chron ic liver diseases were investigated prospectively for urinary pathogen s and Mycobacterium gordonae. No significant differences between prima ry biliary cirrhosis and the two groups were observed in the prevalenc e of significant bacteriuria (11.3% vs, 7.1%), the prevalence of Esche richia coli UTI (9.3% vs. 7.1%) or the colony morphology of Escherichi a coli. No mycobacterial species were grown from any sample. In both g roups, the prevalence of UTI was higher in patients with cirrhosis (20 % in both) than in those without.