Reuters health) - a new study of patients ...

(Reuters Health) - A new study of patients with bacteria in the urine, doctors prescribe antibiotics to one of three who had symptoms and signs of urinary tract infection. In those cases, the bacteria probably would disappear by themselves without any problems, say researchers, and patients with drug goes against the principles - because it increases the risk of resistance to antibiotics, with no real benefit. "When the average doctor sees positive (for bacteria), urine, they automatically think of the treatment," said Dr. Peter Gross, a buy strattera specialist in infectious diseases at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey, who was not involved in the new study. Gross told Reuters Health, that many doctors are afraid of the consequences - such as a defendant - if they decide not to consider the bacteria in the urine, and it will turn into something more serious. Others, he added, could bring the positive test for bacteria in urinary tract infection, or UTI, not thinking about other options. In the new study, researchers from Houston, Texas, Michael DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center and MD Anderson Cancer Center reviewed the medical records of patients in hospitals of which were urine gave a positive result for a certain type of bacteria, in late 2009. This includes 339 specific cases. Most patients were older men, being treated in hospital or emergency room when their urine was tested. Based on information from laboratory tests and notes on the patient's symptoms of UTI - such as fever and pain when urinating - the researchers found that 156 patients had infection, and 183 were cases of so-called colonization, with no signs of infection. In patients with symptoms of urinary tract infections, doctors were almost 12 times more likely to prescribe antibiotics, as in asymptomatic cases, Dr. Barbara Trautner, with VA, and her colleagues reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine this week. However, 60 of 183 patients without symptoms of UTI treated with antibiotics, for guidelines on Infectious Diseases Society of America. Only in special cases, such as pregnant women, not recommended for treatment of bacterial colonization of the symptoms of people with antibiotics. Hospital patients requiring catheter especially prone to develop bacteria in the urine. If it is not full of infection, said Gross, those patients may eliminate any bacteria within a week after a catheter was taken - without the help of antibiotics. The team found Trautner few side effects associated with antibiotic use in patients with or without UTI. It does not change the fact they say that using antibiotics when they are called promotes drug resistance - when bacteria does not meet one or more types of antibiotics and infections get harder to treat. Moreover, the most commonly used antibiotics in all patients with bacteria in the urine were quinolones, which are known as "broad spectrum" antibiotics. These drugs act against a broad spectrum of bacteria, which means that the resistance more trouble with them too much. Many hospitals already have efforts to limit unnecessary use of antibiotics, but Gross said that the decision about when to use drugs, are still often takes a lot of opinions from doctors. Thus, knowledge of patient need and inappropriate use is important too, he said. "There's nothing like an educated patient," said Gross. "Patients should know that not every positive urine indicates infection, it may simply indicate colonization."

When it comes to the use of antibiotics, said: "I agree with" less and better. "

Source:. Archives of Internal Medicine, online 9 January 2012