Urinary Tract Infections

📋 Course Outline

1. Epidemiology and Causative Bacteria
2. Pathophysiology and Natural Defenses
3. Risk Factors and Complications
4. Clinical Forms and Symptoms
5. Urine Testing and Diagnosis
6. Antibiotic Treatment
7. Asymptomatic Bacteriuria
8. Nosocomial Infections and Prevention

📖 1. Epidemiology and Causative Bacteria

★ Must-know

• Urinary tract infections are the second most frequent site of community-acquired infections.

• Urinary tract infections are more frequent in women, with peaks at the beginning of sexual activity and after menopause, whereas they occur mainly in men after age 50 because of benign prostatic hyperplasia.

• The main causative bacteria are:

  • Escherichia coli in 60–80% of cases
  • Staphylococcus saprophyticus in 5–10%
  • Proteus in 5–10%
  • other Enterobacteriaceae
  • enterococci

Further detail

• In children, a urinary tract infection often indicates a malformation of the urogenital tract.

📖 2. Pathophysiology and Natural Defenses

📝 Essential Points

• The urinary tract is normally sterile except for the distal urethra, which is colonized by digestive flora.