Authors : Neeraj Yadav, Aluzma Irfan Ansari, Sshrutkirti Gupta, Prabhakar Singh Patel
DOI : 10.36106/ijsr/23017258
Volume : 14
Issue : 5
Year : 2025
Page No : 46-47
This study aimed to evaluate the reliability (sensitivity) of urine dipstick analysis against urine culture in the diagnosis of UTI at a tertiary care hospital Lucknow. Method: Hospital-based observational prospective study. Over a period of six months, sample received from various clinical departments with suspicion of UTI we evaluated 1035 urine samples for culture and dipstick sensitivity. Result: Urine dipstick analysis of 227 urine culture-positive patients was studied. The sensitivity of nitrite alone and leukocyte esterase alone were 26.36% and 46.83%, respectively. The sensitivity of blood alone in positive urine culture was 60.82%, which was the highest sensitivity for a single screening test. The presence of leukocyte esterase and/or blood increased the sensitivity to 70.55%. The sensitivity was found to be the highest when nitrite, leukocyte and blood were considered together. Conclusion: Though urine culture remains the gold standard, in resource-limited settings where culture facilities are not available, urine dipstick tests can be used to rule out urinary tract infections to avoid the unnecessary use of antimicrobials.