Women with urinary tract infections (UTIs) such as cystitis are refusing antibiotics-and discovering the problem clears up on its own within seven days.
Up to 70 per cent of women with uncomplicated UTI were clear of the problem without taking antibiotics, a new study from the University of Amsterdam has found.
Women with the problem were asked if they would postpone taking antibiotics. One third of the participants agreed, and two-thirds were better or had improved symptoms within one week, the researchers reported.
In the age of the antibiotic-resistant superbugs, doctors should offer the ‘do nothing’ option to women with uncomplicated UTIs, or, at most, offer pain medication rather than an antibiotic, say the researchers.
(Source: BMC Family Practice, 2013; 14: 71).
