Shorter-course antibiotics effective for UTI in older men
Study in JAMA finds no significant difference in symptom resolution between a week and two-week course
For afebrile men with suspected urinary tract infection treatment with ciprofloxacin or trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole for one week is just as effective as a two-week course, according to a noninferiority study.
The trial enrolled 272 afebrile men (median age 69 years) with presumed symptomatic UTI at two US Veterans Affairs medical centres.
All of the men were treated with ciprofloxacin or trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole for seven days; 136 continued antibiotic therapy for an additional seven days and 137 received placebo.
According to the Journal of the American Medical Association report, there was no significant difference in the primary outcome.
