Cystitis treatment: Antibiotics still beat natural remedies

+Healthcare Handbook
In print
Education

Cystitis treatment: Antibiotics still beat natural remedies

Carmen Pope

3D bladder
Bladder infections are caused by bacteria irritating the inner lining of the bladder [Image: iStock.com – Drypsiak]

Healthcare Handbook technical editor Carmen Pope looks at where cystitis fits among urinary tract infections, then outlines its treatments and prevention

A WOMAN IN HER 30s approaches you and asks to buy something for cystitis. You are not sure what cystitis is, so you ask one of the more senior shop st
References

1. Cleveland Clinic. Is a Bladder Infection the Same as a UTI? 22 May 2023.

2. Pope C (Tech Ed). Cystitis (Bladder Infection). Healthcare Handbook 2023–2024. Auckland, NZ: The Health Media Ltd; 2023.

3. Mayo Clinic. Urinary tract infection. 14 September 2022.

4. New Zealand Formulary. Urinary-tract infection. NZF v139; 1 Jan 2024.

5. Healthline. Bladder Infection vs. UTI: How to Tell Which One You Have. 15 February 2023.

6. Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand. Urinary Tract Infections Management Accreditation Training – on demand.

7. BPACnz. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) – an overview of lower UTI management in adults. 10 December 2021.

8. Yang L, Wang K, Li H, et al. The influence of urinary pH on antibiotic efficacy against bacterial uropathogens. Urology 2014;84(3):731.e1–7.

9. O’Kane DB, Dave SK, Gore N, et al. Urinary alkalisation for symptomatic uncomplicated urinary tract infection in women. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2016;4(4):CD010745.

10. Das S. Natural therapeutics for urinary tract infections-a review. Futur J Pharm Sci 2020;6(1):64.

11. Williams G, Hahn D, Stephens JH, et al. Cranberries for preventing urinary tract infections. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2023;4(4):CD001321.

12. Jepson RG, Mihaljevic L, Craig JC. Cranberries for treating urinary tract infections. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2023;12(12):CD001322.

13. Porru D, Parmigiani A, Tinelli C, et al. Oral D-mannose in recurrent urinary tract infections in women: a pilot study. Journal of Clinical Urology 2014;7(3):208–13.

14. Domenici L, Monti M, Bracchi C, et al. D-mannose: a promising support for acute urinary tract infections in women. A pilot study. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2016;20(13):2920–25.

15. Healthline. Can D-Mannose Treat or Prevent UTIs? 23 February 2023.

16. Barrons R, Tassone D. Use of Lactobacillus probiotics for bacterial genitourinary infections in women: a review. Clin Ther 2008;30(3):453–68.