Asymptomatic bacteriuria in schoolgirls. VIII. Clinical course during a 3-year follow-up.

A 3-year follow-up of 116 schoolgirls with asymptomatic bacteriuria, treated or untreated is reported. It is concluded that bacteria isolated from girls with asymptomatic bacteriuria do not commonly cause symptomatic pyelonephritis and that the risk of developing renal damage as a result of asymptomatic bacteriuria in a schoolgirl with a roentgenographically normal urinary tract seems to be small. It is also suggested that for the majority of these patients therapy is not necessary.