Guidelines for diagnosing and treating urinary tract infections.

Urinary tract infections are problems in both men and women in the geriatric age group, although causative factors in each sex differ widely. Diagnostic evaluation is directed at determining obstructive disease in men and underlying anatomic abnormalities in both men and women. Bacteriologic diagnosis is important, and localization studies are often helpful. Antibiotic therapy is guided by the usual standards, with special awareness of the greater incidence of chronic or degenerative disease in older patients.