Detection of Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) and Asymptomatic Bacteriuria using Urinalysis Parameters, a Review

Abstract

Background: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a very common occurrence globally. In order to diagnose a UTI accurately, one must be aware of the variable presentations of a UTI. Given this, UTIs generally have three presentations: Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB), acute cystitis, and pyelonephritis. Due to the pathology of UTIs, it is not uncommon to see significant bacteriuria in asymptomatic patients. Since UTIs are common, readily available means of diagnosis which are accurate and cost effective are needed. Therefore, urinalysis is regularly used in the diagnosis of UTI and ASB in pregnancy because they are easy to perform and produce results rapidly. However, there appears to be little evidence of their accuracy and cost‒effectiveness as compared with standard culture techniques when quantified for positive and negative likelihood ratios. This is a literature review of the efficacy of urinalysis screening in the diagnosis of asymptomatic bacteriuria or UTI in pregnancy;