Drug treatment of urinary tract infection in pregnant women

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v14i10.49612

Keywords:

Urinary tract infections, Pregnant women, Antibacterials.

Abstract

The urinary system is complex, and when bacteria enter these organs, urinary tract infections (UTIs) can develop, affecting individuals of both sexes and all ages. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common diseases and are frequently diagnosed and treated in healthcare settings. Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify the most commonly used medications for urinary tract incontinence in pregnant women. The research was designed as a qualitative, exploratory, descriptive-explanatory study and was conducted through an integrative literature review. Data collection was performed through systematic searches in the PubMed, Virtual Health Library (VHL), and Lilacs databases, using the descriptors "Urinary Incontinence," "Pregnant Women," and "Antibacterials," in Portuguese and English, according to the terminology standardized by the Health Sciences Descriptors (DeCS) and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). The results showed that E. coli is the most prevalent agent in urinary tract infections during pregnancy, with cephalosporins, amoxicillin, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, nitrofurantoin, fosfomycin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, gentamicin, piperacillin-tazobactam, and ciprofloxacin being the most used antibiotics. It was observed that, although some traditional medications present resistance, alternatives such as nitrofurantoin, gentamicin, and ertapenem maintain high efficacy against recurrent pathogens. In conclusion, the data indicates the importance of therapeutic decisions based on up-to-date susceptibility testing, considering maternal-fetal safety and clinical efficacy, to prevent treatment failures and reduce the emergence of antimicrobial resistance.

References

Al-Shahrani, G. S. & Belali, T. M. (2024). Frequency of drug-resistant bacterial isolates among pregnant women with UTI in maternity and children’s hospital, Bisha, Saudi Arabia. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 7397, 2024.

Amorim, A. K. M & Santos, J. A. S. (2021). Prevenção e tratamento da infecção do trato urinário: Intervenções de enfermagem. 2021.

Anton, G.-I. et al. (2024). Multidrug-Resistant Urinary Tract Infections in Pregnant Patients and Their Association with Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes—A Retrospective Study. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 13(22), 6664, 2024.

Araújo, C. Q. L. et al. (2021). Fatores de risco associados à infecção do trato urinário (ITU) em mulheres: Uma revisão integrativa de literatura. Research, Society and Development, 10(12), e402101220567-e402101220567, 2021.

Barnawi, Y. et al. (2024). Prevalence of urinary tract infections in pregnant women and antimicrobial resistance patterns in women in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: a retrospective study. BMC Infectious Diseases, 24(1), 502, 2024.

Botelho, L. L. R.; Cunha, C. C. A. & Macedo, M. (2011). O método da revisão integrativa nos estudos organizacionais. Gestão e sociedade, 5(11), 121-136, 2011.

Braga, P. G. S.; Arruda, J. E. G.; Soler, O. (2020). Diagnóstico precoce de infecções assintomáticas do trato urinário em gestantes e melhoria de desfechoS. Brazilian Journal of Development, 6(10), 81113-81128, 2020.

Camacho, S. D. et al. (2023). Infecção do trato urinário: aspectos epidemiológicos, fisiopatológicos e manejo terapêutico. Brazilian Journal of Development, 9(4), 12721-12730, 2023.

Corrales, M.; Corrales-Acosta, E.; & Corrales-Riveros, J. G. (2022). Which antibiotic for urinary tract infections in pregnancy? A literature review of international guidelines. Journal of clinical medicine, 11(23), 7226, 2022.

Cotton, E. et al. (2024). Prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria among pregnant women and changes in antibiotic resistance: a 6-year retrospective study. Journal of Clinical Urology, 17(1), 9-15, 2024.

Fonseca, J. J. S. (2002). Metodologia da pesquisa científica. Fortaleza: UEC, Apostila. 2002.

Ghouri, F.; Hollywood, A. & Ryan, K. (2019). Urinary tract infections and antibiotic use in pregnancy-qualitative analysis of online forum content. BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 19(1), 289, 2019.

Gil, A. C. (2008). Métodos e técnicas de pesquisa social. (6. ed.). Editora Atlas, 2008.

Goldenberg, M. (2004). A arte de pesquisar. Rio de Janeiro- Editora Record, 2004.

Hackenhaar, A. A. & Albernaz, E. P. (2013). Prevalência e fatores associados à internação hospitalar para tratamento da infecção do trato urinário durante a gestação. Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia, 35, 199-204, 2013.

Jin, J. et al. (2024). Real world drug treatment models for pregnancy complicated with urinary tract infection in China from 2018 to 2022: a cross-section analysis. Frontiers in pharmacology, 15, 1349121, 2024.

Laudelino, J. S. et al. (2019). Infecção urinária por Mycobacterium abscessus: relato de caso. Brazilian Journal of Nephrology, 42, 124-126, 2019.

Lopes, C. M. & Figueiredo, E. F. G. (2021). Principais agentes bacterianos associados à resistência antimicrobiana no tratamento de Infecções do Trato Urinário (ITU) em pacientes do sexo feminino. Research, Society and Development, 10(15), e556101523567-e556101523567, 2021.

Mendes, K. D. S.; Silveira, R. C. C. P. & Galvão, C. M. (2019). Uso de gerenciador de referências bibliográficas na seleção dos estudos primários em revisão integrativa. Texto & Contexto-Enfermagem, 28, e20170204, 2019.

Pereira, A. L. O. et al. (2023). Abordagem abrangente das infecções do trato urinário: aspectos fisiopatológicos e estratégias terapêuticas. Brazilian Journal of Health Review, 6(4), 19220-19232, 2023.

Ribeiro, B. M. et al. (2021). Infecções urinárias em mulheres: ações terapêuticas e profiláticas Urinary infections in women: therapeutic and prophylactic actions. Brazilian Journal of Health Review, 4(6), 28217-28230, 2021.

Ribeiro-do-Valle, C. C. et al. (2024). Aetiology and use of antibiotics in pregnancy-related infections: results of the WHO Global Maternal Sepsis Study (GLOSS), 1-week inception cohort. Annals of Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobials, 23(1), 21, 2024.

Rodrigues, F. et al. (2025). Rising Trends of Urinary Infections Among Pregnant Women: Insights from a Portuguese Hospital (2018–2022). Bacteria, v.4(1), 10, 2025.

Rosenthal, S. T. et al. (2022). Infecção do trato urinário-aspectos epidemiológicos, fisiopatológicos e manejo terapêutico Urinary tract infection-epidemiological, physiopathological aspects and therapeutic management. Brazilian Journal of Development, 8(7), 52571-52580, 2022.

Silva, R. A.; Sousa, T. A.; & Vitorino, K. A. (2019). Infecção do trato urinário na gestação: diagnóstico e tratamento. Revista Científica da Faculdade de Educação e Meio Ambiente, 10(1), 71-80, 2019.

TasneeM, M. et al. (2022). Urinary Tract Infection and Antibiotic Resistance in Pregnant Women: A Single-Center Cross-Sectional Study. Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics, 10(6), 236-242, 2022.

Published

2025-10-29

Issue

Section

Review Article

How to Cite

Drug treatment of urinary tract infection in pregnant women. Research, Society and Development, [S. l.], v. 14, n. 10, p. e167141049612, 2025. DOI: 10.33448/rsd-v14i10.49612. Disponível em: https://www.rsdjournal.org/rsd/article/view/49612. Acesso em: 9 dec. 2025.