Which Works Best for Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections?

An antiseptic treatment could be as effective as antibiotics in preventing recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs), according to a study published in the British Medical Journal.

Urinary tract infection is caused by bacteria that grow in urine and travel up to the bladder. They are more common among females due to the shorter urethra. Recurrent urinary tract infections are defined as at least three UTI episodes a year.

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‘An antiseptic drug can prevent recurrent urinary tract infections as well as antibiotic resistance.’

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“Over 50 percent of women will suffer from a urinary tract infection in their lifetimes,” says Chris Harding at The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

UK guidelines recommend a daily low-dose antibiotic as a preventative therapy for recurrent UTIs. However, long-term use of these drugs raises the risk of antibiotic resistance.

Unlike antibiotics that kill bacteria, methenamine Hippurate is an antiseptic drug that sterilizes urine, inhibiting the growth of certain bacteria. The antiseptic has shown promise for UTI prevention, but the evidence is inconclusive.

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To learn more, researchers studied 205 women who had on average six UTIs a year. Every day for 12 months, 102 of the participants took an antibiotic, while the remaining 103 were given a methenamine hippurate pill.

Over the year, those in the antibiotic group had on average 0.89 UTI episodes, compared with 1.38 episodes among those taking methenamine hippurate.

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This kind of trial provides clinicians and patients with a credible non-antibiotic option for the prevention and treatment of recurrent urinary tract infections. However, the long-term safety of methenamine hippurate is unclear.

Four of the participants who took it daily were admitted to the hospital as a result of a UTI, and six of the same group reported fever during an infection. Overall, 34 people in the antibiotic group and 35 in the antiseptic group had side effects, most of which were mild.

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The study was also not blinded, so the participants and researchers were aware of the treatment received. Different antibiotics were also prescribed according to each person’s medical history, which may have affected the results.

Nevertheless, growing concerns around antibiotic resistance could make methenamine hippurate a viable preventative option if future research supports its use.

Source-Medindia