Cranberries vs Antibiotics to Prevent Urinary Tract Infections

Abstract

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are very common, especially in women. Almost half of all women report at least 1 UTI sometime during their lifetime, and after an initial UTI, 20% to 30% of women experience a recurrence with additional concomitant short-term morbidity.¹ For premenopausal women with more than 2 UTIs per year, low-dose antibiotic prophylaxis is commonly recommended.² However, this may lead to drug resistance not only of the causative microorganisms but also of the indigenous flora.³ The increasing prevalence of isolates of Escherichia coli (the most prevalent uropathogen) that are resistant to antimicrobial agents has stimulated interest in novel nonantibiotic methods for the prevention of UTIs.⁴