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 < .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 < .025), and the prevalence of bacteriuria was significantly greater in patients with complications of long-standing diabetes mellitus than in those without complications (P < .005).