1995 Volume 69 Issue 7 Pages 790-796
A nation-wide surveillance of causative organisms was conducted on 1, 699 elderly patients with UTIs aged more than 65 in 190 private clinics and 73 hospitals in August and September, 1993, in order to investigate the distribution of causative bacteria and the relationship between isolates and the background of those patients.
From 1, 233 of the 1699 patients, 1, 636 strains were isolated. E. coli was isolated most frequently (30%). In male and older patients, less E. coli were isolated, while more attenuated Gramnegative rods such as NFGNR including P. aeruginosa were found. A similar trend was observed in uncomplicated UTIs isolates in this study. More E. coli were isolated from patients with stronger subjective symptoms while more bacteria other than E. coli were isolated in those with weaker subjective symptoms.
From the above findings, it was confirmed that a high recovery rate of opportunitsic pathogen which is less susceptible to various antibacterials is one the refractroy factors in elderly patients with UTIs. Therefore, it is necessary to select a suitable antibacterial that can be used for complicated UTIs in elderly patients even when diagnosed as uncomplicated UTIs. Regardless of the size of the clinic or hospital, when treating elderly patients, with unsatisfactory results in initial treatment and with less subjective symptoms the physician must bear this in mind.
