Asymptomatic bacteriuria and hemoglobin A1.

We measured hemoglobin A1 (HbA1) and performed clean-catch urine cultures in 752 patients (411 men and 341 women) with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) attending an outpatient diabetes clinic. Prevalence of bacteriuria was significantly greater in diabetic women than in controls (9.1 vs. 5.0%, P less than .001) but not in diabetic men. Risk of bacteriuria was not related to level of HbA1 at the time of urine culture. However, mean duration of diabetes mellitus was significantly greater in diabetic women with bacteriuria than in those without infection (9.9 +/- 1.5 vs. 5.4 +/- 0.4 yr, P less than .025), and the prevalence of bacteriuria was significantly greater in patients with complications of long-standing diabetes mellitus than in those without complications (P less than .005).