Urologist Sorts Fact from Fiction.

2001 JUN 21 - (NewsRx Network) -- by Michelle Marble, senior medical writer - There may be good reasons for wearing clean cotton underwear and not wearing pantyhose, but urinary tract infections are not among them.

Distinctions between myth and fact related to urinary tract infections (UTIs) were discussed at a plenary session at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association meeting held June 2-7, 2001, in Anaheim, California.

"What I tried to accomplish was to take some scientific findings and epidemiological findings and link those to everyday clinical practice," stated John N. Krieger, MD, University of Washington. "The key issues scientifically are that we are beginning to understand specific chemistry and genetics in both bacteria and patients which effect why certain people are more likely to get infections."

Krieger explained that women at risk of recurrent UTIs tend to have certain blood group antigen and secretory status. Bacterial virulence is also capable of overcoming normal host defenses. This can be a very important factor when trying to treat immunocompromised patients.

Bacterial resistance is another important factor when deciding treatment options. He noted that resistance to TMP-SMX, one of the most widely used antibiotics for treating UTIs, has doubled in the last 10 years.

"The first issue when you see someone with an infection is to decide if it is a complicated or uncomplicated infection," stated Krieger. "Uncomplicated UTI patients can generally be effectively treated with oral medications, ...