Efficacy of cranberry extracts in the reduction of the catheter-associated urinary tract infections

DOI: 10.22591/magyurol.2018.3.magyara.110

Authors:
Magyar András dr., Vinodh Kumar Adithyaa Arthanareeswaran dr., Póth Sándor dr., Köves Béla dr., Tenke Péter dr.
Jahn Ferenc Dél-pesti Kórház és Rendelőintézet, Urológiai osztály, Budapest (osztályvezető: Tenke Péter dr.)

Summary

Introduction: Catheter-associated urinary tract infections result in significant economical and healthcare burden with very few therapeutic options. Our objective is to summarise the latest literature which evaluates the efficacy of cranberry supplements on catheter associated urinary tract infections.
Material and methods: We review a study where patients with long-term indwelling catheters and recurrent catheter associated urinary tract infections were enrolled to take a 36 mg once-daily oral cranberry capsule over a period of 6 months. The primary outcome was to evaluate the efficiency of a cranberry supplement in the reduction of incidence of catheter associated urinary tract infections. Secondary outcomes were to evaluate the change in the bacterial counts and resistance patterns to antibiotics during the 6 months long cranberry supplement treatment.
Results: 22 patients completed the study. Their mean age was 77 years, and 77% of the patients were men. No catheter associated urinary tract infections was observed in the patients during the 6 months long study period. The bacterial resistance to antibiotics was reduced by 28%, while the bacterial count was reduced by 59%. The cranberry supplement treatment did not result in any adverse events or side effects.
Conclusions: The study shows promising data regarding the use of cranberry supplements in the reduction of catheter associated urinary tract infections.

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