List Last 25 FAQs

This question is answered simply: to whichever antibiotics they are sensitive. The problem is knowing that sensitivity. A lot of people are diagnosed with a UTI based on incomplete information. Sometimes symptoms are indicative of a UTI, but the urine is sterile. Sometimes urine is tested with a dipstick, and the doctor sees a hint that a UTI is present. Antibiotics are often dispensed for either symptoms of a UTI, or an dipstick test. But unless the urine is sent for culture, there is no information that the antibiotic given is actually the right one, nor is there confirmation that the person actually had a UTI. And the more times a person receives an antibiotic, the more their bacterial flora adapt and change to resist what has been given. A negative dipstick test proves that there is no UTI, but a slightly positive test can be caused by contamination of the specimen or the dipsticks themselves. The more UTI’s a person is treated for, the more difficult the treatment when a UTI comes along. So if a treatment is given for a UTI, a culture should be sent as well so that the treatment can be evaluated in detail.

Category: Infections