Urinary tract infection and dysuria. Cost-conscious evaluation and antibiotic therapy.

Recent research into the pathogenesis and treatment of urinary tract infection (UTI) clearly indicates that our traditional approach has overestimated the need for extensive evaluation and prolonged antibiotic therapy. The great majority of UTIs can be managed adequately with urinalysis and single-dose or three-day antibiotic regimens; only complicated UTIs or those occurring in unusual hosts require cultures and longer courses of treatment.