Asymptomatic Bacteriuria in Elderly Persons: Treat or Do Not Treat?

Editorials1 May 1987Asymptomatic Bacteriuria in Elderly Persons: Treat or Do Not Treat?JEROME A. BOSCIA, M.D., ELIAS ABRUTYN, M.D., DONALD KAYE, M.D.JEROME A. BOSCIA, M.D., ELIAS ABRUTYN, M.D., DONALD KAYE, M.D.Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-106-5-764 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptBacteriuria occurs with much greater frequency in elderly persons than it does in younger persons. In young to middle-aged women and men, the prevalence is less than 5% and 0.1%, respectively (1). At least 20% of women and 10% of men over 65 years of age have bacteriuria (2-6). Some epidemiologic studies have shown a definite increase in the prevalence of bacteriuria in elderly persons that correlates with advancing age (2, 3); others, however, have failed to detect an increase (4, 7). Overall, 15% to 20% of women and 0% to 3% of men aged 65 to 70 years have...References1. KAYE D. Urinary tract infections in the elderly. Bull NY Acad Med. 1980;56:209-20. MedlineGoogle Scholar2. BROCKLEHURSTDILLANEGRIFFITHSFRY JJLJ. The prevalence and symptomatology of urinary infection in an aged population. Gerontol Clin. 1968;10:242-53. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. SOURANDER L. Urinary tract infection in the aged—an epidemiological study. Ann Med Intern Fenn. 1966;55(suppl 45):7-55. MedlineGoogle Scholar4. AKHTARANDREWSCAIRDFALLON AGFR. Urinary tract infection in the elderly: a population study. Age Ageing. 1972;1:48-54. CrossrefGoogle Scholar5. BOSCIAKOBASAKNIGHTABRUTYNLEVISONKAYE JWREMD. Epidemiology of bacteriuria in an elderly ambulatory population. Am J Med. 1986;80:208-14. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. KASVIKI-CHARVATIDROLETTE-KEFAKISPAPANAYIOTOUDONTAS PBPA. Turnover of bacteriuria in old age. Age Ageing. 1982;11:169-74. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. 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CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar25. GLECKMANESPOSITO RA. Antibiotics in the elderly: skating on therapeutic thin ice. Geriatrics. 1980;28:26-37. Google Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: JEROME A. BOSCIA, M.D.; ELIAS ABRUTYN, M.D.; DONALD KAYE, M.D.Affiliations: The Medical College of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byIncidence and Outcomes of Staphylococcus aureus Bacteriuria: A Population-based StudyUrine Culture Testing in Community Nursing Homes: Gateway to Antibiotic OverprescribingUrinary Tract InfectionsUrinary Tract Infections in Older AdultsLa infección urinaria y su prevenciónUrinary tract infections and their preventionUrinary Tract InfectionsHealthcare-Acquired Bacterial InfectionsPrevention and Treatment of Health Care–Acquired InfectionsPredictors of outcome in geriatric patients with urinary tract infectionsInfektionen bei speziellen PatientenInfections urinaires nosocomiales : qui traiter, quand traiter et comment traiter en gériatrie ?Good practice in continence care: development of nurse-led serviceEfficacy and Safety of Ciprofloxacin Oral Suspension Versus Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole Oral Suspension for Treatment of Older Women with Acute Urinary Tract InfectionEfficacy and Safety of Ciprofloxacin Oral Suspension Versus Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole Oral Suspension for Treatment of Older Women with Acute Urinary Tract InfectionAsymptomatic Bacteriuria in Institutionalized Elders in IsraelEffectively Treating Common Infections in Residents of Long-Term Care FacilitiesUrinary Tract Infection in the ElderlyHospital-acquired infection in elderly patientsNosocomial Bacterial InfectionsBacteremic Urinary Tract Infection in Older PeopleA Practical Approach to Diagnosing and Treating Urinary Tract Infections in AdultsTreatment of urinary tract infections in Dutch hospitalsApproach to Fever and Infection in the Nursing HomeInfection Control in Long-term CareManagement of Bacterial Urinary Tract Infections in AdultsAdmission laboratory testing in elderly psychiatric patients without organic mental syndromes: Should it be routine?Management of Urinary Tract Infections in AdultsChronic Urinary Tract Infections in Elderly PatientsUrinary Tract InfectionMedical care of the elderly in the nursing homeErkrankungen der Niere und ableitenden HarnwegeLiteraturverzeichnisIncidence and Characteristics of Antibiotic Use in Aged Nursing Home PatientsBacteriuria in elderly female subjectsBactériurie asymptomatique du sujet âgéNosocomial Bacterial InfectionsAsymptomatic significant bacteriuria in the elderlyTreatment of urinary infection in the elderlyInfections in frail and vulnerable elderly patientsUrinary Tract InfectionCare of the Nursing Home PatientUrinary Tract Infections in Men Epidemiology, Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and TreatmentBenjamin A. Lipsky, MDAsymptomatic Bacteriuria in the ElderlyThe Treatment of Asymptomatic Bacteriuria in the ElderlyAsymptomatic Bacteriuria in the ElderlyAdverse consequences of asymptomatic urinary tract infections in adults 1 May 1987Volume 106, Issue 5Page: 764-766KeywordsAgingElderlyEpidemiologyNursing homes ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 May 1987 PDF downloadLoading ...