Urinary tract infection.

Urinary tract infections are the most common bacterial infections experienced by elderly patients. These infections are often asymptomatic, although on occasion they produce discomfort for selective older patients (particularly those with obstructive uropathy), and present a risk for bacteremia, septic shock, adult respiratory distress syndrome, and death. The limited available data suggest that there are major differences with regard to pathogenesis, microbiology, clinical features, laboratory abnormalities, and therapy between young and elderly women who develop symptomatic pyelonephritis. There is a need to provide a standard antibiotic prophylaxis program to those elderly patients with specific cardiac conditions who are scheduled to undergo urinary procedures.