- Health
- Women’s Health
CAN YOU PEE-LIEVE IT
But researchers say the hope of a vaccine against UTIs is on the horizon
- Vanessa Chalmers, Health Features Editor (Mat Cover)
WOMEN who suffer UTIs will be frsutrated to hear an NHS-backed remedy has been deemed ‘ineffective’ in a study.
Between 10 and 20 per cent of women will have a symptomatic UTI in their lifetime, and three per cent report a history of recurrent UTI in the past year, Nice says.
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They may turn to alternative methods to try and keep the nasty infection at bay, such as drinking cranberry juice.
To prevent UTIs coming back, the NHS says “there's some evidence it may be helpful to takeD-mannose – a sugar you can buy as a powder or tablets to take every day”.
While some animal studies and clinical trials have shown D-mannose to potentially have benefit, a new trial of almost 600 women suggests otherwise.
Women are more likely to get UTIs than men because their urethra is shorter and therefore, bacteria is more able to travel to the bladder.
Oxford University enrolled women 18 and older from 99 primary care centers who had at least two UTIs in the preceding six months or three in 12 months.
They were split randomly to take either 2g of D-mannose powder or 2g of a placebo powder.
Of the women taking D-mannose, 51 per cent (150 of 294) returned to their doctor with a suspected UTI compared with 55.7 per cent (161 of 289) of the placebo group.
There were no significant differences seen in other measured outcomes either, including symptom duration or antibiotic use.
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The study authors wrote: "Daily d-mannose should not be recommended to prevent future episodes of clinically suspected UTI in women with rUTI in primary care.”
In an accompany commenteray, doctors at the University of California warned that the study did not confirm all of the reported suspected UTIs.
Dr. Mike Coates explains what a urinary tract infection is and how you can prevent them
"Many of these suspected UTI episodes may not have represented true UTIs, given that patients with a history of previous UTIs are sometimes inclined to suspect recurrence on the basis of vague or nonspecific symptoms that do not have clinical predictive value for acute infection," they wrote.
Still, they say the trial was well-designed and the findings provide "compelling new data" that challenge recommendations for using D-mannose to prevent UTIs.
Vaccine hope
But not all hope is lost, after scientists this week discovered a "groundbreaking" treatment can prevent infections for up to nine years in more than half of patients.
Effectively, a ‘vaccine’ could soon be available to prevent the agonising condition.
Symptoms of a UTI usually include pain or a burning sensation when peeing, needing to pee more often than usual and stomach pain.
The infections can be dangerous, particularly for older people, causing irregular heartbeats, high blood pressure and triggering potentially lethal falls.
Drugs that treat UTIs are becoming less effective as antibiotic-resistant infections increase.
The recent study, conducted at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, revealed that 54 per cent of participants have not had a UTI since they took the vaccine.
The jab, called MV140, is given as a pineapple-flavoured oral spray and could be given as an alternative to these antibiotics.
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It contains four types of inactivated bacteria - which means they cannot infect the body and make someone ill – including E. Coli, the most common cause of a UTI.
Dr Bob Yang, consultant urologist at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, who co-led the research, said: “Nine years after first receiving this new UTI vaccine, around half of the participants remained infection-free.”
What is a UTI?
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are usually caused by E.coli bacteria - found in poo - entering the urinary tract.
The bacteria enter through the tube that carries pee out of the body (urethra).
Women are more likely than men to pick up UTIs as they have a shorter urethra than men.
This means bacteria are more likely to reach the bladder or kidneys and cause an infection.
According to the NHS, things that increase the risk of bacteria getting into the bladder include:
- Having sex
- Pregnancy
- Conditions that block the urinary tract – such as kidney stones
- conditions that make it difficult to fully empty the bladder – such as an enlarged prostatein men andconstipation in children
- Urinary catheters (a tube in your bladder used to drain urine)
- Having a weakened immune system – for example, people with diabetes or people having chemotherapy
- Not drinking enough fluids
- Not keeping the genital area clean and dry
Check if it's a UTI
Symptoms of a urinary tract infection (UTI) may include:
- Pain or a burning sensation when peeing (dysuria)
- Needing to pee more often than usual
- Needing to pee more often than usual during the night (nocturia)
- Needing to pee suddenly or more urgently than usual
- Pee that looks cloudy
- Blood in your pee
- Lower tummy pain or pain in your back, just under the ribs
- A high temperature, or feeling hot and shivery
- A very low temperature below 36C
Your pee may also be dark or smell. If this is your only symptom, it might be because you've not been drinking enough water.
What to do if you think you have a UTI
If you think you have UTI symptoms, you shouldspeak to your GP to discuss treatment options.
Most people will need antibiotics.
Some people may be prescribed a ‘delayed antibiotic’, meaning they’ll be asked only to use it if their symptoms don’t go away after a certain amount of time.
If you keep getting UTIs, your GP might recommend you have a low dose of antibiotics over a long period of time or refer you to a specialist for more tests and treatments.
For women who have gone through menopause, there is evidence that vagin*l oestrogen creams can reduce UTI symptoms.
Source: NHS
