Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2002 Aug;87(2):118-23.
doi: 10.1136/adc.87.2.118.

Short compared with standard duration of antibiotic treatment for urinary tract infection: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials

M Michael  1 , E M Hodson, J C Craig, S Martin, V A Moyer
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Short compared with standard duration of antibiotic treatment for urinary tract infection: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials

M Michael et al. Arch Dis Child. 2002 Aug.

Abstract

Aims: To compare the effectiveness of short course (2-4 days) with standard duration oral antibiotic treatment (7-14 days) for urinary tract infection (UTI).

Methods: Meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials using a random effects model. Ten trials were eligible, involving 652 children with lower tract UTI recruited from outpatient or emergency departments. Main outcome measures were UTI at the end of treatment, UTI during follow up (recurrent UTI), and urinary pathogens resistant to the treating antibiotic.

Results: There was no significant difference in the frequency of positive urine cultures between the short (2-4 days) and standard duration therapy (7-14 days) for UTI in children at 0-7 days after treatment (eight studies: RR 1.06; 95% CI 0.64 to 1.76) and at 10 days to 15 months after treatment (10 studies: RR 1.01; 95% CI 0.77 to 1.33). There was no significant difference between short and standard duration therapy in the development of resistant organisms in UTI at the end of treatment (one study: RR 0.57, 95% CI 0.32 to 1.01) or in recurrent UTI (three studies: RR 0.39, 95% CI 0.12 to 1.29).

Conclusion: A 2-4 day course of oral antibiotics is as effective as 7-14 days in eradicating lower tract UTI in children.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Meta-analyses showing the summary and individual trial relative risks (95% CI) for (A) persistence of urinary tract infection at the end of treatment (8 data sets) and (B) recurrence of infection 10 days to 15 months (12 data sets) after treatment with short duration or standard duration of antibiotics. Trials are shown ordered by study weights. No heterogeneity was shown using Cochran's Q statistic (χ2). The test statistic Z indicates that there were no significant differences between short and standard durations of antibiotic therapy.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Meta-analyses showing the summary and individual trial relative risks (95% CI) for the number of urinary tract infections (UTI) caused by organisms resistant to the treating antibiotic (A) among persistent urinary tract infections at the end of treatment (1 data set) and (B) among recurrent UTI 10 days to 15 months (3 data sets) after treatment with short duration or standard duration of antibiotics. Trials are shown ordered by study weights.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

References

    1. JAMA. 1976 Apr 26;235(17):1854-6 - PubMed
    1. Acta Paediatr Scand Suppl. 1974;(252):1-20 - PubMed
    1. Pediatrics. 1981 Jun;67(6):796-801 - PubMed
    1. Infection. 1981;9(5):249-51 - PubMed
    1. J Pediatr. 1981 Dec;99(6):980-3 - PubMed

Substances