Witteman Louise, van Wietmarschen Herman A, van der Werf Esther T
Louis Bolk Institute, Kosterijland 3-5, 3981 AJ Bunnik, The Netherlands.
Antibiotics (Basel). 2021 Mar 3;10(3):250. doi: 10.3390/antibiotics10030250.
Due to the excessive use of antibiotic and antimycotic treatments, the risk of resistant microbes and fungi is rapidly emerging. Previous studies have demonstrated that many women with (recurrent) urinary tract infection (UTI) and/or vaginal infections (VIs) welcome alternative management approaches to reduce the use of antibiotics and antifungals and avoid short- and long-term adverse effects. This study aims to determine which complementary medicine (CM) and self-care strategies are being used by women suffering from (recurrent) UTI and VI in The Netherlands and how they perceive their effectiveness in order to define directions for future research on safety, cost-effectiveness, and implementation of best practices. A cross-sectional online survey was performed among women, ≥18 years old, with a history of UTIs; 162 respondents were included in the data analysis, with most participants aged between 50 and 64 years (36.4%). The women reported having consulted a CM practitioner for UTI-specific symptoms (23.5%) and VI-specific symptoms (13.6%). Consultations of homeopaths, acupuncturists, and herbal physicians are most often reported. Overall, 81.7% of the women suffering from UTI used complementary or self-care strategies besides regular treatment, and 68.7% reported using CM/self-care strategies to treat vaginal symptoms. UTI- related use of cranberries (51.9%), vitamin C (43.8%), and D-mannose (32.7%) were most reported. Perceived effectiveness was mostly reported for homeopathic remedies and D-mannose. The results showed a substantial burden of UTI and VI on daily and sexual activities. Besides the frequency of use, the indication of perceived effectiveness seems to be an important parameter for further and rigorously designed research to encourage nonantibiotic/antifungal treatment implementation into daily clinical practice.
由于抗生素和抗真菌药物的过度使用，耐药微生物和真菌的风险正在迅速显现。先前的研究表明，许多患有（复发性）尿路感染（UTI）和/或阴道感染（VI）的女性欢迎采用替代管理方法，以减少抗生素和抗真菌药物的使用，并避免短期和长期的不良反应。本研究旨在确定荷兰患有（复发性）UTI和VI的女性正在使用哪些补充医学（CM）和自我护理策略，以及她们如何看待这些策略的有效性，以便为未来关于安全性、成本效益和最佳实践实施的研究确定方向。对18岁及以上有UTI病史的女性进行了一项横断面在线调查；162名受访者纳入数据分析，大多数参与者年龄在50至64岁之间（36.4%）。这些女性报告称，因UTI特异性症状（23.5%）和VI特异性症状（13.6%）咨询过CM从业者。最常报告的是咨询顺势疗法医生、针灸师和草药医生。总体而言，81.7%患有UTI的女性除常规治疗外还使用了补充或自我护理策略，68.7%报告使用CM/自我护理策略治疗阴道症状。最常报告的与UTI相关的使用蔓越莓（51.9%）、维生素C（43.8%）和D-甘露糖（32.7%）的情况。顺势疗法药物和D-甘露糖的疗效大多得到认可。结果表明，UTI和VI对日常和性活动造成了沉重负担。除了使用频率外，疗效认可度似乎是进一步严格设计研究的一个重要参数，以鼓励在日常临床实践中实施非抗生素/抗真菌治疗。
