Professor Notes- Cranberry Juice and Urinary Tract Infection

Question: Discuss about the Cranberry Juice and Urinary Tract Infection. Answer: Introduction: Urinary tract infection can be defined as the presence of a threshold of bacteria in the urinary tract resulting in a bacterial infection of the tract. Wang (2013) points out that it is one of the most experienced medical conditions accounting for over 25% of all the infections. It results in several days of illness coupled with severe consequences such as dehydration, urosepsis, delirium, and hospitalization as well as death in severe cases. Different attempts in search of the most suitable intervention method that can be adopted have been in place for decades. As others prefer the use of antibiotics, some medical practitioners believe and have tested the use of cranberry juice as one of the effective medical interventions that can be adopted. However, some studies have been done to understand the effectiveness of the juice in the treatment of UTI as compared to other antibiotics. This paper presents the detailed analysis of the effectiveness of using cranberry juice in the treatmen t of UTI as compared to other antibiotics. While the use of prophylactic antibiotics has been adopted for a long time in the treatment of UTI, Caljouw et al. (2014) points at that their use tend to be coupled with different side effects. Several continuous medical studies on better ways of UTI Prevention have reported that cranberry juice is chemically made up of proanthocyanidins (PACs). It is known n to be a very stable phenolic compound with anti-adhesive property against the E. coli bacteria that commonly cause UTI. A systematic review by Opperman (2010) also reports that the use of the juice is more natural as compared to the use of prophylactic antibiotics that has several chemicals added to make if efficient and long-lasting such as the preservatives that have no medical purpose in the antibiotics. In their study, Jepson, Williams, and Craig (2012) also point out that concentrated cranberry juice works efficiently against other kinds of bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus mirabilis, and Klebsiella pneumonia. As a result, using the juice is thus sufficient not only to the UTI treatment but it will also clear any infection that is related to the other bacteria and not specifically Escherichia coli. It is thus supportive evidence that the use of cranberry juice can effectively lead to the reduction of UTI over a period of 12 months. Despite the fact that its treatment process and results take a longer time than the antibiotics, it is very effective for use by women with a recurring infection. In their study, Opperman (2010) further concludes that the administration of the cranberry capsules at a daily dosage reduces the incidences of UTI reoccurrences by 26%. Different cranberry products have been adopted in the attempt of treatment of UTI. These include concentrates from cranberry juice, cranberry capsules, and cranberry juice cocktail with varying dosage regiments. Many studies thus recommended the use medical cranberry as it dehydrates the body and adds vitamins among other nutrients to the body apart from the treatment purposes. However, further latest researchers have identified some limitations as opposed to other studies. For instance, Raz, Chazan, and Dan (2016) point out that the use of the juice is less effective than indicated by some studies. Other studies like Aells et al. (2014) report that there is no statistical significance in cases with patients suffering from a one-time infection or recurring UTI infections. There are a large number of withdrawals from different studies, (Gardner, 2014., Caljouw et al. 2014., and Bass et al., 2014), as well as the small benefits of the juice in the prevention of the infections. It is th us not worth recommending as a more efficient treatment method as compared to the prophylactic antibiotics. The high level of dropouts is attributed to the acceptability of its consumption as a medical product by many patients. As a result, the research results recommend the use of other quantified methods such as the use of powders using standardized methods. In such case, the standardized methods need to ensure the potency of use and should have sufficient active ingredients before being recommended for use or evaluated in clinical studies. Conclusion Even though using prophylactic antibiotics show quicker results, there are increased cases of reoccurrences of infections. A regular and respective dosage of the antibiotics also tends to be expensive as compared to the use of the cranberry juice. It is thus worth concluding that the effectiveness of using cranberry juice solely depends on the level of infection of the patient. For instance, it will be suitable for use in the recurring infection cases as it has no side effects as compared to the prophylactic antibiotics. Further research is hence required to shade more light in the use of cranberry juice in protecting patients against UTI infections and particularly in women with recurring infections and anatomical abnormalities. References Aells, S. J., Bharadwa, K., McKinnell, J. A., Miller, L. G. (2014). Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections Among Women: Comparative Effectiveness of 5 Prevention and Management Strategies Using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo Model.Clinical Infectious Diseases,58(2), 147-160. Bass-Ware, A., Weed, D., Johnson, T., Spurlock, A. (2014). Evaluation of the Effect Of Cranberry Juice on Symptoms Associated with a Urinary Tract Infection.Urologic Nursing,34(3), 121-127. doi:10.7257/1053-816X.2014.34.3.121 Caljouw, M. A., Hout, W. B., Putter, H., Achterberg, W. P., Cools, H. M., Gussekloo, J. (2014). Effectiveness of Cranberry Capsules to Prevent Urinary Tract Infections in Vulnerable Older Persons: A Double-Blind Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial in Long-Term Care Facilities.Journal Of The American Geriatrics Society,62(1), 103-110. doi:10.1111/jgs.12593 Gardner, E. (2014). The health properties of cranberry juice.Nutrition Bulletin,39(2), 223-230. doi:10.1111/nbu.12093 Jepson, R. G., Williams, G., Craig, J. C. (2012). Cranberries for preventing urinary tract infections. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 10. Art. No.: CD001321. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD001321.pub5. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD001321.pub5/full Opperman, E. A. (2010). Cranberry is not effective for the prevention or treatment of urinary tract infections in individuals with spinal cord injury.Spinal Cord,48(6), 451-456. Raz. R., Chazan. B, Dan. M. (2016). Cranberry Juice and Urinary Tract Infection. Clin Infect Dis.(2004)38(10):1413-1419.doi:10.1086/386328 https://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/38/10/1413.full Wang, P. (2013). The Effectiveness of Cranberry Products to Reduce Urinary Tract Infections in Females: A Literature Review.Urologic Nursing,33(1), 38-45. doi:10.7257/1053-816X.2013.33.1.38