Objectives and design: A systematic review with meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RGT) on the efficacy and safety of ciprofloxacin in the treatment of acute or complicated urinary tract infections in adults. Primary outcomes were bacteriological eradication, clinical cure, bacterial resistance, and adverse event rates.
Results: Initially, 111 RGTs were identified. We excluded 81 studies due to low quality methodology. An analysis of the remaining RGTs identified therapeutic equivalence of ciprofloxacin against other antimicrobials in terms of bacterial eradication and clinical cure at the end of treatment and in subsequent stages. The percentage of bacterial resistance was similar in both groups, while the percentage of related adverse events was significantly lower in the groups treated with ciprofloxacin.
Conclusions: We conclude that ciprofloxacin is a safe and effective therapeutic alternative for the treatment of acute or complicated urinary tract infections in adults.