[What to do about recurrent urinary tract infections].

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Infectious Diseases
• Women's Health

Background:

• Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are highly prevalent bacterial infections.
• Recurrent UTIs negatively affect patients' physical intimacy, social interactions, and work capacity.
• The standardized ACSS questionnaire aids in UTI diagnosis and disease monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the importance of non-antibiotic treatment options for reducing UTI recurrence.
• To emphasize strategies for preventing antibiotic resistance and side effects.
• To advocate for a multimodal therapeutic approach in managing recurrent UTIs.

Main Methods:

• Review of non-antibiotic strategies for UTI management.
• Discussion of behavioral recommendations, immunoprophylaxis, phytotherapeutics, and local estrogen substitution.
• Consideration of antibiotic prophylaxis in severe cases.

Main Results:

• Non-antibiotic strategies are crucial for preventing recurrent UTIs.
• Personalized counseling and behavioral advice are effective components of management.
• Multimodal treatment, including non-antibiotic options, is recommended.

Conclusions:

• Non-antibiotic treatments are vital for managing recurrent UTIs and minimizing antibiotic resistance.
• A personalized, multimodal approach integrating counseling and various therapeutic strategies is essential.
• Antibiotic prophylaxis may be considered selectively for patients with high symptom burden.