So here’s the exception that proves the rule.

Urinary tract infections need immediate treatment with antibiotics to avoid an increased risk of sepsis and death.

That’s the quite definitive conclusion from a large retrospective study involving GP data from the UK recently published in the BMJ.

After analysing the records of over 150,000 patients, aged 65 and over presenting to their GP with a suspected or confirmed UTI, the researchers found those whose antibiotic treatment was delayed or deferred were up to eight times more likely to develop sepsis in the following 60 days compared to the group who were given antibiotics from the beginning.