JAC Advance Access originally published online on January 25, 2006
Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy 2006 57(3):551-556; doi:10.1093/jac/dkl008
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Antibiotic prescribing for acute and recurrent cystitis in primary care: a 4 year descriptive study
1 Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Messina, Torre Biologica-Policlinico Universitario, Via Consolare Valeria-Gazzi, 98125 Messina, Italy; 2 Italian College of General Practitioners, Florence, Italy; 3 Health Search, Italian College of General Practitioners, Florence, Italy; 4 Microbiology Section, Di.S.C.A.T. Department, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy; 5 Institute of Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
Received 25 March 2005; returned 23 May 2005; revised 14 December 2005; accepted 28 December 2005
* Corresponding author. Tel: +39-090-2213877; Fax: +39-090-2213300; E-mail: lgalatti{at}unime.it
Objectives: To explore the antibiotic prescribing pattern for cystitis and the patient-related variables associated with prescription during a 4 year period among Italian general practitioners (GPs).
Methods: We obtained information from the ‘Health Search Database’ (HSD), an Italian general practice research database. From a total sample of 457 672 eligible patients aged >16 years registered up to December 2002, we included those whose diagnoses could be classified as acute (uncomplicated and complicated) and recurrent cystitis. Patients' features and prevalence of antibiotic users were assessed.
Results: Of 35 129 cases diagnosed during the period 1999–2002, 96.0% of them were acute cystitis (39.2% recorded as uncomplicated). The prevalence of cases with acute complicated and uncomplicated cystitis slightly increased during the 4 year period, whereas it remained stable for recurrent cystitis. Most of the cystitis cases reported no diagnostic tests. More than 70% of patients were prescribed with at least one antibiotic, with a 4-fold increased risk of antibiotic use for acute cystitis throughout the study period. The prevalence of antibiotic users reached 86.2% for both acute uncomplicated and complicated cystitis in 2002, and 81.5% for recurrent cystitis. Fluoroquinolones represented the most common antibiotics being prescribed although they markedly decreased during these years. Fosfomycin trometamol use increased dramatically, becoming the first choice for any type of cystitis.
Conclusions: Data indicate an evident rise in antibiotic use mostly related to fosfomycin trometamol. They also indicate that such a prescriptive trend finds confirmation from the available evidence for acute uncomplicated cystitis, although the management of recurrent cystitis could be further improved.
Keywords: urinary tract infections , general practice , prescribing practice
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  J. Oteo, B. Orden, V. Bautista, O. Cuevas, M. Arroyo, R. Martinez-Ruiz, M. Perez-Vazquez, M. Alcaraz, S. Garcia-Cobos, and J. Campos CTX-M-15-producing urinary Escherichia coli O25b-ST131-phylogroup B2 has acquired resistance to fosfomycin J. Antimicrob. Chemother., October 1, 2009; 64(4): 712 - 717. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 S. Maraki, G. Samonis, P. I. Rafailidis, E. K. Vouloumanou, E. Mavromanolakis, and M. E. Falagas Susceptibility of Urinary Tract Bacteria to Fosfomycin Antimicrob. Agents Chemother., October 1, 2009; 53(10): 4508 - 4510. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 S. Pakhomova, S. G. Bartlett, A. Augustus, T. Kuzuyama, and M. E. Newcomer Crystal Structure of Fosfomycin Resistance Kinase FomA from Streptomyces wedmorensis J. Biol. Chem., October 17, 2008; 283(42): 28518 - 28526. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|