Exploring variations in recommended first-choice therapy for complicated urinary tract infections in males: Insights from outpatient settings across age, race, and ethnicity.
Pharmacotherapy
; 44(4): 308-318, 2024 Apr.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38483080
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
There are known disparities in the treatment of infectious diseases. However, disparities in treatment of complicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) are largely uninvestigated.OBJECTIVES:
We characterized UTI treatment among males in Veterans Affairs (VA) outpatient settings by age, race, and ethnicity and identified demographic characteristics predictive of recommended first-choice antibiotic therapy.METHODS:
We conducted a national, retrospective cohort study of male VA patients diagnosed with a UTI and dispensed an outpatient antibiotic from January 2010 through December 2020. Recommended first-choice therapy for complicated UTI was defined as use of a recommended first-line antibiotic drug choice regardless of area of involvement (ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, or sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim) and a recommended duration of 7 to 10 days of therapy. Multivariable models were used to identify demographic predictors of recommended first-choice therapy (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] > 1).RESULTS:
We identified a total of 157,898 males diagnosed and treated for a UTI in the outpatient setting. The average antibiotic duration was 9.4 days (±standard deviation [SD] 4.6), and 47.6% of patients were treated with ciprofloxacin, 25.1% with sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, 7.6% with nitrofurantoin, and 6.6% with levofloxacin. Only half of the male patients (50.6%, n = 79,928) were treated with recommended first-choice therapy (first-line drug choice and appropriate duration); 77.6% (n = 122,590) were treated with a recommended antibiotic choice and 65.9% (n = 104,070) with a recommended duration. Age 18-49 years (aOR 1.07, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03-1.11) versus age ≥65 years was the only demographic factor predictive of recommended first-choice therapy.CONCLUSIONS:
Nearly half of the patients included in this study did not receive recommended first-choice therapies; however, racial and ethnic disparities were not identified. Underutilization of recommended first-choice antibiotic therapy in complicated UTIs continues to be an area of focus for antimicrobial stewardship programs.Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Urinary Tract Infections
/
Anti-Bacterial Agents
Limits:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Aged
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Country/Region as subject:
America do norte
Language:
En
Journal:
Pharmacotherapy
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
United States