Consensus on Treatment Recommendations for Urogenital Infections in Type 2 Diabetics

Introduction: Diabetes involves general weakness of the immune system, posing a specialised care issue. Clinical experience has shown infection risk in the urogenital tract to be especially high with poor metabolic control compared to non-diabetics, although exact figures have yet to be reported. An expert group of diabetologists, urologists and gynaecologists carried out a survey to determine the actual frequency of urogenital infections reported in outpatient treatment of type 2 diabetes towards defining a consensus document for treatment recommendations. Methods: A questionnaire was sent to 1 194 family doctors involved in diabetes treatment from September to November 2011. Results: A hundred and twenty offices filled out and returned the questionnaires, and eighty-five were included in analysing data from 51 723 type 2 diabetic patients. Urogenital infections requiring treatment were documented in 14% of patients, 81 % of which affected the urinary tract and 16% affected the genitals; women were more often affected at 74% and 64%, respectively. 13% of the patients needed to be referred to a specialist, and the condition worsened in 3.3% of patients. Conclusions: Urogenital infections are a common complication in patients with type 2 diabetes; most infections are easy to treat with the right therapy, and do not lead to complications.