Research article summary (published 27 Oct 2009):

Antibiotic prophylaxis and recurrent urinary tract infection in children.

Full Abstract

BACKGROUND: Antibiotics are widely administered to children with the intention of preventing urinary tract infection, but adequately powered, placebo-controlled trials regarding efficacy are lacking. This study from four Australian centers examined whether low-dose, continuous oral antibiotic therapy prevents urinary tract infection in predisposed children. METHODS: We randomly assigned children under the age of 18 years who had had one or more microbiologically proven urinary tract infections to receive either daily trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole suspension (as 2 mg of trimethoprim plus 10 mg of sulfamethoxazole per kilogram of body weight) or placebo for 12 months. The primary outcome was microbiologically confirmed symptomatic urinary tract infection. Intention-to-treat analyses were performed with the use of time-to-event data. RESULTS: From December 1998 to March 2007, a total of 576 children (of 780 planned) underwent randomization. The median age at entry was 14 months; 64% of the patients were girls, 42% had known vesicoureteral reflux (at least grade III in 53% of these patients), and 71% were enrolled after the first diagnosis of urinary tract infection. During the study, urinary tract infection developed in 36 of 288 patients (13%) in the group receiving trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (antibiotic group) and in 55 of 288 patients (19%) in the placebo group (hazard ratio in the antibiotic group, 0.61; 95% confidence interval, 0.40 to 0.93; P = 0.02 by the log-rank test). In the antibiotic group, the reduction in the absolute risk of urinary tract infection (6 percentage points) appeared to be consistent across all subgroups of patients (P > or = 0.20 for all interactions). CONCLUSIONS: Long-term, low-dose trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole was associated with a decreased number of urinary tract infections in predisposed children. The treatment effect appeared to be consistent but modest across subgroups. (Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry number, ACTRN12608000470392.) 2009 Massachusetts Medical Society

Author information

Author/s: Craig, Jonathan C (JC); Simpson, Judy M (JM); Williams, Gabrielle J (GJ); Lowe, Alison (A); Reynolds, Graham J (GJ); McTaggart, Steven J (SJ); Hodson, Elisabeth M (EM); Carapetis, Jonathan R (JR); Cranswick, Noel E (NE); Smith, Grahame (G); Irwig, Les M (LM); Caldwell, Patrina H Y (PH); Hamilton, Sana (S); Roy, Leslie P (LP); Prevention of Recurrent Urinary Tract Infection in Children with Vesicoureteric Reflux and Normal Renal Tracts (PRIVENT) Investigators;

Affiliation: Screening and Test Evaluation Program and the School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Multicenter Study; Randomized Controlled Trial; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: The New England journal of medicine (N Engl J Med), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2009-Oct; vol 361 (issue 18) : pp 1748-59

Dates: Created 2009/10/29; Completed 2009/11/04;

PMID: 19864673, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/4/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

Comments and Corrections

CommentIn: N Engl J Med. 2009 Oct 29;361(18):1804-6. (PMID: 19864680)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adolescent Anti-Infective Agents, Urinary - administration & dosage; adverse effects; therapeutic use Child Child, Preschool Female Humans Infant Infant, Newborn

Male Patient Compliance Recurrence - prevention & control Time Factors Treatment Outcome Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole Combination - administration & dosage; adverse effects; therapeutic use Urinary Tract Infections - epidemiology; etiology; prevention & control Vesico-Ureteral Reflux - classification; complications; drug therapy

Associated Chemicals: Anti-Infective Agents, Urinary (0) ; Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole Combination (8064-90-2)

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