Lebanese society of infectious diseases and clinical microbiology guidelines for the treatment of urinary tract infections

ABSTRACT

Urinary tract infection [UTI] is a common condition affecting men and women of all ages. It can have different presentations and can be acute, recurrent or chronic. It mandates prompt management to avoid complications and improve patient's outcome. In an era of increasing antimicrobial resistance and an urgent need for antimicrobial stewardship, national guidelines to standardize care of various infectious diseases have become a priority. Members of the Lebanese Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology [LSIDCM] drafted guidelines for the management of the various forms of UTI. These guidelines serve as a guide for health care workers, specifically primary care practitioners, family physicians, and emergency medicine physicians. They constitute an appropriate starting point before specialist consultation. They take into consideration the available local epidemiological data and the resistance profile of common urinary pathogens in Lebanon. This document includes the following sections 1. Rationale and scope of the guidelines; 2. Definition of UTI; 3. Clinical presentation and diagnostic work-up of UTI; 4. Microbiological data of UTI; 5. Management and prevention strategies based on the latest Infectious Diseases Society of America [IDSA] and the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases [ESCMID] guidelines, tailored to the microbiological data in Lebanon. It addresses UTI in women [uncomplicated and complicated] and men [acute and chronic]. In addition, it covers management of asymptomatic bacteriuria and catheter related UTI. The recommendations in this document were graded based on the strength of the evidence as in the IDSA guidelines