Nitrofurantoin: properties and potential in treatment of urinary tract infection: a narrative review

Abstract

Nitrofurantoin (NF), a wide-spectrum antibiotic accessible since 1953, is utilized widely to treat urinary tract infections as it usually stays active against drug-resistant uropathogen. The use of Nitrofurantoin has increased exponentially since new guidelines have repositioned it as first-line therapy for uncomplicated lower urinary tract infection (UTI). To, although fluoroquinolones are usually used to re-evaluate the first- and second-line therapies for treating uncomplicated UTI, their level of utilization is thought to be inappropriately excessive and will eventually have a detrimental impact; thus, we hypothesize that NF might be the best choice for this condition, because of its low frequency of utilization and its high susceptibility in common UTI pathogens. It can be concluded from this review that NF can be considered as the most effective drug in the treatment of acute urinary infection, but due to the long-term side effects of this drug, especially in elderly patients, it is essential to introduce some criteria for prescribing NF in cases of chronic UTI.