Antibiotic-Sparing Prevention of Urinary Tract Infections

Approximately half of women experience a urinary tract infection (UTI) in their lifetime, and at least 1 in 4 women who experience an initial episode of UTI go on to have a recurrent infection. While antibiotics are the mainstay of treatment for isolated episodes of cystitis as well as suppression of recurrent episodes, much effort has been directed at identifying potential antibiotic-sparing strategies to prevent recurrent UTIs due to concern about the rise of antimicrobial-resistant organisms and adverse effects associated with antibiotics. Although guidelines from professional societies encourage the use of vaginal estrogen to decrease UTI recurrence among postmenopausal women, they include conflicting recommendations about other strategies for suppressing recurrent UTIs, including over-the-counter supplements. In particular, there is debate about the value of d-mannose, a monosaccharide compound that is hypothesized to inhibit bacterial adherence to uroepithelial cells, for preventing recurrent UTI episodes.
Source: JAMA Internal Medicine - Category: Internal Medicine Source Type: research