Urinary tract infections in adults with diabetes

Urinary tract (UTI) is a major disease burden for many patients with diabetes. Asymptomatic bacteriuria is several-fold more common among women and acute plyelonephritis is five to ten times more common in both sexes. The complications of pyelonephritis are also more common in patients with diabetes. These complications include acute papillary necrosis, emphysematous pyelonephritis, and bacteremia with metastatic localization to other sites. The management of urinary infection in patients with diabetes is essentially the same as patients without diabetes. Most infections should be managed as uncomplicated except when they occur in a milieu with obstruction or other factors that merit a diagnosis of complicated UTI. Strategies to prevent these infections and reduce morbidity should be a priority for research.