title: Prevention of recurrent urinary tract infections in women.
abstract: Around 40-50% of women experience at least one urinary tract infection (UTI) during their lifetime and 20-30% of these have a recurrence within 3-4 months of the initial infection.¹ Recurrent UTI (usually defined as three episodes in the last 12 months or two episodes in the last 6 months) can have a considerable impact on a woman's quality of life. Each episode of acute UTI in young women is typically associated with about 6 days of symptoms, 2.4 days of restricted activities and 0.4 days of bed rest.¹ Antibacterial prophylaxis is effective in preventing recurrent episodes, but at the expense of unwanted effects and a risk of promoting bacterial resistance. Here we assess the efficacy of different antibacterial regimens and non-antibacterial alternatives (cranberry, probiotics, oestrogens, immunostimulation, hyaluronic acid and chondroitin, acupuncture and herbs) in the prevention of recurrent uncomplicated UTIs in women.
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019072:Antibiotic Prophylaxis / Q000009:adverse effects; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002807:Chondroitin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; D004967:Estrogens / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019936:Probiotics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000628:therapy; D029799:Vaccinium macrocarpon
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D004967:Estrogens; D010936:Plant Extracts; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid; D002807:Chondroitin