Comparison of 3-day and 7-day ciprofloxacin regimen for the treatment of uncomplicated urinary tract infection in women: A randomized double-blind clinical trial

Background: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most commonly bacterial infections in clinical practice. Almost half of all women experience at least one urinary tract infection in their lifetime. This study compared efficacy and safety of 3-day and 7-day ciprofloxacin regimen for the treatment of uncomplicated urinary tract infection in women. Patients and methods: A total of 76 patients were randomly assigned to two treatment groups. One group received ciprofloxacin, 250 mg twice a day for 3 days (n=39) and the other group received ciprofloxacin 250 mg twice a day for 7 days (n=37). Subjects were visited and assessed three times during the study period (baseline, end of treatment, and test for cure). Clinical and bacteriological responses to the treatment were compared between the two groups. Results: There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of age distribution and clinical signs/symptoms during the baseline visit. There was no significant difference between clinical or bacteriological responses between the two groups. Three-day regimen of ciprofloxacin showed high microbiological eradication rate for E. coli (66.7%) which was similar to the eradication rate observed for 7-day regimen (64.8%). No statistically significant difference was found in adverse effects between the groups, except for nausea (p=0.041). Conclusion: A 3-day ciprofloxacin regimen appeared to be safe and effective for the treatment of UTI in women. Therefore, shorter therapy duration with ciprofloxacin can potentially improve patient compliance and decrease costs