Duration of treatment for urinary tract infections in children

Br Med J. 1975 Jul 12;3(5975):65-6. doi: 10.1136/bmj.3.5975.65.

Abstract

In a double-blind trial 45 children aged 6 months to 14 years with Escherichia coli infections of the urinary tract were given co-trimoxazole for two weeks and then allotted at random to one of two treatment groups for the remainder of six months; one continued with the active drug and the other with dummy tablets of identical appearance. Of the 24 children who took co-trimoxazole for two weeks and the 21 who took it for six months, 11 and 10, respectively, remained without further infections for at least a year. Over 90% of the reinfections occurred within five months of stopping the antibiotics, and the longer treatment did not cause any delay in their appearance. Thus probably a six-month course of treatment is no more likely to achieve a cure than a two-week course; nevertheless, no infection occurred during treatment, and there may be an advantage in continuing with antibiotics in small dosage.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Randomized Controlled Trial

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Clinical Trials as Topic
  • Drug Combinations
  • Escherichia coli Infections / drug therapy*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Male
  • Placebos
  • Recurrence
  • Sulfamethoxazole / administration & dosage*
  • Sulfamethoxazole / therapeutic use
  • Time Factors
  • Trimethoprim / administration & dosage*
  • Trimethoprim / therapeutic use
  • Urinary Tract Infections / drug therapy*

Substances

  • Drug Combinations
  • Placebos
  • Trimethoprim
  • Sulfamethoxazole