The Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention of Recurrent Urinary Tract Infection

Urinary tract infection has a one-year prevalence of 11% in women and ranges among the most common reasons for consulting a primary care physician and for receiving a prescription for antibiotics. In the case of recurrent urinary tract infection (rUTI), there are questions about the further work-up, treatment, and preventive measures.

The systematic literature search performed for the update of the German clinical practice guideline on uncomplicated urinary tract infection (043-044) (up to February 2022) was supplemented with a selective search for clinical trials (up to August 2023).

Urine culture and ultrasonography are reasonable steps in the diagnostic evaluation of rUTI. Further invasive testing is suggested for men but is not routinely indicated for women. Antibiotics are among the most effective preventive measures (risk ratio [RR] 0.15, 95% confidence interval [0.1; 0.3]) but carry a high risk of side effects. Non-antibiotic preparations such as cranberry juice (RR 0.74 [0.5; 0.99]), mannose (RR 0.23 [0.14; 0.37]), and vaginal estrogen (RR, 0.42 [0.30; 0.59]) can also reduce the infection rate, with a low risk of side effects. Increased daily fluid intake has been shown to lower infection rates in the short term (odds ratio [OR] 0.13 [0.07; 0.25]); the use of hygienically advisable wiping techniques after passing stool or urine has been little studied but can be implemented with no risk.

rUTI poses a challenge for the treating physician. The measures to be taken must be considered on an individual basis. Vulnerable groups, such as older patients, need special attention.