Epidemiological profile and antimicrobial resistance of urinary tract infections in diabetic versus non-diabetic individuals

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a major public health issue, particularly for individuals diabetes, and are further complicated by antibiotic resistance. This study compared the profile and antibiotic susceptibility of uropathogens in 120 diabetic and 130 non-diabetic patients. UTIs were confirmed by microbiological analysis based on standardized bacterial counts and on white blood cell counts. The results showed a significantly higher UTI frequency in diabetic patients (43.33%) versus non-diabetics (28.46%) (Odds Ratio (OR) = 1.98; p = 0.020). No association among 18–45 year olds, however significantly association among those ≥ 46 year olds (OR = 2.33; p = 0.009). Females in both groups have higher risk, which was statistically significant only among diabetics. Type 2 diabetics have a significantly higher UTI rate (48.86%) than type 1 diabetics (28.12%). Clinical symptoms like fever, burning micturition, and hematuria were more frequent in the diabetic group. Eschirichia coli was the most common pathogen in both groups, followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae. Overall, 86.66% of isolates were resistant to at least one antibiotic, with ignificantly higher resistance in diabetics (92.5%) than non-diabetics (75%). Eschericia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterococcus spp. and Staphylococcus aureus exhibited the highest rates of resistance across both groups (exceeded 85%), though resistance to Imipenem, Ceftriaxone, and Nalidixic acid remained below 20%. While resistance was higher across all isolates from diabetic patients, the difference was only statistically significant for E. coli. The study concludes that the higher UTI frequency in diabetics drives increased antibiotic use, which in turn promotes the emergence and spread of resistant bacteria, making treatment increasingly challenging.