The majority of the cases seen in the doctor's office are in women (30:1 female:male ratio). Up to 60 percent (6 women in 10) of all women have at least one UTI at some time in their lives. Once one bladder infection has cleared up, several weeks to months later symptoms of a another bladder infection can occur. This is called a recurrent UTI. At least a third of women with a UTI will experience a recurrence during the following year, with recurrence being most common in the age groups 25-29 and over 55 years.
Symptoms of a bladder infection include pain on urination, increased urgency to urinate and increases in the number of times a person urinates. Bladder infections can spread and get into the kidney. This is a very serious complication of a bladder infection. Women who have recurrent UTIs are more likely to get kidney infections as well.
Results from a new study confirm what many women already know. For years women have been told to drink cranberry juice to prevent bladder infections. This study in the British Medical Journal demonstrated that drinking cranberry juice can reduce the risk of recurrent UTIs.
In the United States, over 11 million women each year receive antimicrobials for urinary tract infection, costing over $1.6 billion. The findings suggest that this popular remedy may be a good way to prevent recurrence of these painful infections and reduce the need for antibiotics.
In a randomized study of 150 women with a history of UTI, the investigators asked one group to drink 50 mL (about 2 onces or 1.69 oz.) of cranberry-lingonberry juice daily, another to drink 100 mL (3.38 oz.) of a Lactobacillus drink 5 days/week and a third to drink neither beverage. In the cranberry group, the number of UTIs was reduced by about half at 6 months. Drinking the Lactobacillus drink did not reduce the number of UTI's. Overall, 16% women in the cranberry group, 39% in the lactobacillus group and 36% in a control group had at least one UTI during the year-long study, Dr. Tero Kontiokari of the University of Oulu and colleagues report.
Cranberries and blueberries contain tannins called proanthocyanidins. These tannins prevent the production of "P fimbriae" on the surface of a bacterium called Escherichia coli or E. coli. E. coli is the most common cause of UTIs.
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