IntroductionThis study investigated the effects of recurrent urinary tract infections (rUTI) and the impact of prophylaxis on rUTI and patients’ quality of life (QoL).MethodsAltogether, 575 patients affected by rUTI were included in a 6-month observational study. QoL was assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) and the Leicester scales. Statistical analyses were performed using SAS® Version 8.2 software (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA). The significance level was set at 5%. Spearman correlation was used to assess the degree of correlation between infectious episodes and HAD and Leicester scores. For each parameter, the comparison between Day 0 and Day 180 was performed using Wilcoxon signed-rank test for quantitative data.ResultsIn total, 61.9% of patients suffering from rUTI exhibited some degree of depression at baseline (Day 0). Alternative oral non-antimicrobial prophylactic treatment for rUTI [Escherichia coli lyophilized bacterial lysate (OM-89)] was administered to 94.4% of patients (1 capsule a day for 90 days), followed by a 3-month treatment-free period. At the end of the study (Day 180), the mean number of UTI decreased by 59.3% (P ≤ 0.0001), the total HAD score decreased by 32.1% (P ≤ 0.0001), and the mean Leicester score decreased by 44.0% (P ≤ 0.0001) from baseline. There was a correlation trend between the reduction in the numbers of UTI at the end of the study compared to the 6 months prior to study entry and the reduction in the anxiety, depression, total HAD scores, activity, feeling, and total Leicester scores registered from Day 0 to Day 180, suggesting a lessening of emotional problems, and social and functional handicaps with decreasing UTI incidence.ConclusionsThis study showed that rUTI had a negative impact on patients’ QoL and that effective alternative prophylaxis significantly improved their QoL.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s40121-014-0054-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Objectives To report available information in the literature regarding frequency, indications, types of antibiotic usage, duration, and their efficacy in Covid-19 patients. Methods The search was conducted on April 30 and May 7, 2020, using Ovid database and Google search. Patients’ characteristics, clinical outcomes, as well as selected characteristics regarding antibiotic use (indication, class used, rates and types of bacterial secondary and co-infection, and duration of treatment) were analyzed. Results Nineteen clinical studies reporting data from 2834 patients were included. Mean rate of antibiotic use was 74.0 % of cases. Half the studies reported occurrence of a bacterial co-infection or complication (10 studies). Amongst the latter, at least 17.6 % of patients who received antibiotics had secondary infections. Pooled data of 4 studies show that half of patients receiving antibiotics were not severe nor critical. Detailed data on antibiotic use lack in most articles. Conclusions The present review found a major use of antibiotics amongst Covid-19 hospitalized patients, mainly in an empirical setting. There is no proven efficacy of this practice. Further research to determine relevant indications for antibiotic use in Covid-19 patients is critical in view of the significant mortality associated with secondary infections in these patients, and the rising antimicrobial resistance.

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