Via practica 2/2013

Acute urinary tract infections – diagnostic and therapeutic options in the general practitioner’s surgery

Given the fact that urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common bacterial infections in human, every general practitioner encounters patients with urinary tract symptoms in his everyday practice. Due to the anatomical conditions and an upward spread of UTIs, the vast majority of patients are women. For practical and rational reasons, acute urinary tract infections are divided into primary (uncomplicated) and secondary (complicated) ones. The diagnosis and treatment of the former is clearly within the competence of the general practitioner; patients of the latter group should be, even after successful treatment, referred by the general practitioner to a specialized centre in order to rule out other possible urological abnormalities. The review article presents fundamental diagnostic and therapeutic principles for both groups of patients with UTIs.

Keywords: urinary tract infections, uncomplicated (primary) urinary tract infections, complicated (secondary) urinary tract infections, antimicrobial therapy