Increased fluid intake for the prevention of urinary tract infection in adults and children in all settings: a systematic review

Background Non-antibiotic interventions for urinary tract infection (UTI) prevention have been investigated as a strategy to reduce antibiotic prescribing for UTI and subsequent antibiotic resistance. Increased hydration is widely advocated for preventing UTI; however, evidence for its effectiveness is unknown. Aim To systematically review the published literature on the effectiveness of increased fluid intake as a preventive intervention for UTI in adults and children in any setting. Methods Five electronic databases were searched from inception to February 2019 to identify published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental studies evaluating the effectiveness of high (≥1.5 L/24 h) versus normal/low (