Treatment of the Acute Urethral Syndrome

ACUTE dysuria and frequent urination in young women results most commonly from three conditions: vaginitis, cystitis, and the acute urethral syndrome.1 2 3 In a recent study of women with the urethral syndrome, we found that 71 per cent had abnormal pyuria, defined as ≥8 leukocytes per cubic millimeter of midstream urine. Furthermore, 88 per cent of women with pyuria were found to have lower-urinary-tract infection with less than 105 coliforms or staphylococci per milliliter of urine or with Chlamydia trachomatis.3 Since all these agents should respond to antimicrobial therapy, treatment of women with the acute urethral syndrome has been recommended, . . .