RESUMO
Objective. To determine the incidence of Ureaplasma urealyticum in women experiencing chronic urinary symptoms and to determine whether antibiotic therapy targeting these organisms is effective. Design: a prospective study. Setting: Faculty of Medicine for Girls, Al-Zahraa University Hospital. Patients: Twenty-four women with chronic urinary symptoms. Study design: Participants were referred for evaluation of chronic voiding symptoms. They underwent urologic evaluation, including culture screening for Ureaplasma urealyticum. Patients with positive cultures were treated with a 1-g dose of azithromycin. Patients were scored for symptoms severity and voiding frequency before and after treatment. Twelve out of 24 women [50%] with chronic urinary symptoms had positive cultures for Ureaplasma urealyticum. No signifcant difference in age or parity was found between women with positive cultures and those with negative cultures for Ureaplasma urealyticum [p=0.51 and 0.93 respectively]. Women with negative cultures [n = 12] had urinary frequency of 10 +/- 1.63 and severity of symptoms of 1.75 +/- 0.72. Women with positive cultures [n = 12] had urinary frequency of 9.67 +/- 1.37 and severity of symptoms of 1.92 +/- 0.95. Women with positive cultures before treatment did not differ significantly from those with negative cultures as regard urinary frequency and severity of symptoms [p = 0.60 and 0.63 respectively]. After receiving therapy, women with positive cultures reported urinary frequency of 5.83 +/- 1.14 and severity of symptoms of 0.42 +/- 0.86. These values differed significantly from corresponding values before treatment [p <0.0001 and=0.0005 respectively]. Ureaplasma urealyticum infections may account for a large proportion of unexplained chronic urinary symptoms in women. Culture and treatment appears cost-effective