Overview. New standards for UTI--1988

Lower urinary tract infection is a significant problem in 20 percent of the female population in the United States. An improved standard of care is now possible through new understanding of pathogenesis, evaluation, and cost-effective management. Urologists are called on to establish standard protocols for practical diagnosis and treatment of uncomplicated urinary tract infection, thereby establishing a common language among physicians and patients. An appreciation of host defense mechanisms, particularly the antiadherence role of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) in the bladder mucin, reinforces clinical recognition of the bladder as the target organ for bacterial attack associated with urinary tract infection.