ArticleBMC geriatrics2014
Interleukin-6 concentrations in the urine and dipstick analyses were related to bacteriuria but not symptoms in the elderly: a cross sectional study of 421 nursing home residents.
Article in BMC geriatrics, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 61 citations in OpenAlex.
- Limited evidence for diagnosing bacterial skin infections in older adults in primary care: systematic review.BMC geriatrics · 2019Pooled it
- The scientific evidence for a potential link between confusion and urinary tract infection in the elderly is still confusing - a systematic literature review.BMC geriatrics · 2019Pooled it
- Diagnostic value of symptoms and signs for identifying urinary tract infection in older adult outpatients: Systematic review and meta-analysis.The Journal of infection · 2018Pooled it
- Efficacy of Interleukin 8 (IL-8) in the detection of urinary tract infection.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Article
- Are long-lasting nonspecific symptoms related to vitamin D deficiency among older adults living in nursing homes?BMC geriatrics · 2025Article
- Innate immunosenescence and sepsis in the elderly: mechanisms and innate immune modulation strategies.Central-European journal of immunology · 2025Review
- Diagnosis of urinary tract infections in the hospitalized older adult population in Alberta.PloS one · 2024Article
- Urinary Biomarkers and Point-of-Care Urinalysis Devices for Early Diagnosis and Management of Disease: A Review.Biomedicines · 2023Review
- What is the Diagnostic Accuracy of Novel Urine Biomarkers for Urinary Tract Infection?Biomarker insights · 2023Review
- Urinary interleukins (IL)-6 and IL-10 in schoolchildren from an area with low prevalence of Schistosoma haematobium infections in coastal Kenya.PLOS global public health · 2023Article
- Barriers and facilitators of appropriate antibiotic use in primary care institutions after an antibiotic quality improvement program - a nested qualitative study.BMC geriatrics · 2022Article
- Nursing home residents with suspected urinary tract infections: a diagnostic accuracy study.BMC geriatrics · 2022Article
- Immune cell profiles of patients with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome.Journal of translational medicine · 2022Article
- Asymptomatic Bacteriuria (ABU) in Elderly: Prevalence, Virulence, Phylogeny, Antibiotic Resistance and Complement C3 in Urine.Microorganisms · 2021Article
- Oral and parenteral antibiotic use in Norwegian nursing homes: are primary care institutions becoming our new local hospitals?JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2020Article
- Development of a Tailored, Complex Intervention for Clinical Reflection and Communication about Suspected Urinary Tract Infections in Nursing Home Residents.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2020Article
- Biomarkers in urinary tract infections - which ones are suitable for diagnostics and follow-up?GMS infectious diseases · 2020Review
- Bacteriuria and vitamin D deficiency: a cross sectional study of 385 nursing home residents.BMC geriatrics · 2019Article
- Characteristics of febrile urinary tract infections in older male adults.BMC geriatrics · 2019Observational
- Differentiating Asymptomatic Bacteriuria From Urinary Tract Infection in the Pediatric Neurogenic Bladder Population: NGAL As a Promising Biomarker.Topics in spinal cord injury rehabilitation · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundUp to half the residents of nursing homes for the elderly have asymptomatic bacteriuria (ABU), which should not be treated with antibiotics. A complementary test to discriminate between symptomatic urinary tract infections (UTI) and ABU is needed, as diagnostic uncertainty is likely to generate significant antibiotic overtreatment. Previous studies indicate that Interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the urine might be suitable as such a test. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between laboratory findings of bacteriuria, IL-6 in the urine, dipstick urinalysis and newly onset symptoms among residents of nursing homes.
methodsIn this cross sectional study, voided urine specimens for culture, urine dipstick and IL-6 analyses were collected from all residents capable of providing a voided urine sample, regardless of the presence of symptoms. Urine specimens and symptom forms were provided from 421 residents of 22 nursing homes. The following new or increased nonspecific symptoms occurring during the previous month were registered; fatigue, restlessness, confusion, aggressiveness, loss of appetite, frequent falls and not being herself/himself, as well as symptoms from the urinary tract; dysuria, urinary urgency and frequency.
resultsRecent onset of nonspecific symptoms was common among elderly residents of nursing homes (85/421). Urine cultures were positive in 32% (135/421), Escherichia coli was by far the most common bacterial finding. Residents without nonspecific symptoms had positive urine cultures as often as those with nonspecific symptoms with a duration of up to one month. Residents with positive urine cultures had higher concentrations of IL-6 in the urine (p < 0.001). However, among residents with positive urine cultures there were no differences in IL-6 concentrations or dipstick findings between those with or without nonspecific symptoms.
conclusionsNonspecific symptoms among elderly residents of nursing homes are unlikely to be caused by bacteria in the urine. This study could not establish any clinical value of using dipstick urinalysis or IL-6 in the urine to verify if bacteriuria was linked to nonspecific symptoms.
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