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What Are Urinary Tract Infections?
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a common and often recurrent medical issue, with women being most affected, especially in summer. They occur when bacteria from the skin or the digestive tract reach the bladder through the urethra becoming opportunistic pathogens.
A properly functioning immune system, together with a balanced, healthy urogenital flora, normally prevent these infections. However, when these protective barriers fall out of balance due to factors such as a weakened immune system, use of certain contraceptives or use of antibiotics, the risk of urinary infections increases.
Conventional treatments typically involve antibiotics. However, the use of antibiotic treatment can not only lead to increased antimicrobial resistance, but can also impair the immune system, our protective shield against pathogens.
Micro-immunotherapy provides a valuable and sustainable prevention and treatment option, as it enhances the body’s natural defences by communicating with the immune system in its own language, retraining the immune system back to its natural optimum.
The Most Frequent UTI: Cystitis
UTIs are infections in any part of the urinary system, including kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. Most infections, such as cystitis, affect the lower urinary tract. If untreated, they can lead to serious complications, including pyelonephritis and kidney damage.
Cystitis is a UTI occuring in the lower part of the urinary tract (bladder and/or urethra). It is more common in women because they have a shorter urethra than men.
The main pathogen that causes cystitis is Escherichia coli. However, as infections recur and due to overuse and misuse of antibiotics, the number of possible causative microorganisms and antibiotic-resistant strains increase.
It should be noted that cystitis is also one of the most common infections in summer. In fact, it is not advisable to keep your wet swimsuit on after swimming in the sea or pool, as the increased humidity favours the growth of bacteria.
Common Causes of Urinary Tract Infections
Factors increasing UTI risk include:
Symptoms of Urinary Tract Infections
Symptoms vary depending on the infection site and include:
Treatment of Urinary Tract Infections: Immunomodulation as a Sustainable Solution
When managing urinary tract infections, it is crucial to adopt a long-term strategy to prevent recurrences. This involves not only addressing the immune system but also considering changes in microbiota and the impact of stress on recurrent episodes. Ensuring comprehensive care in the treatment approach is essential for effective and sustainable management of UTIs.
Prevention and treatment of cystitis should be sought from a healthcare professional as good management is key to prevent the infection from spreading to the upper urinary tract and worsening. In addition, it may be necessary to recommend antibiotic treatment to prevent the infection from spreading.
However, for patients needing continuous or prophylactic antibiotics, such as those suffering from recurrent UTIs, these treatments can lose efficacy, harm the urogenital flora, increase resistance, and fail to prevent recurrences.
Therefore, there is a growing need for immunomodulatory treatments that rebalance the immune response to its natural optimum, which can be integrated with other treatment strategies.
Micro-immunotherapy uses low-dose immune mediators to transmit targeted information to the immune system, promoting a balanced and effective response. It can be combined with other therapies and is suitable for all age groups.
The micro-immunotherapy approach to UTIs is based on the following objectives:
Support innate and adaptive immunity in infection control, promote macrophage phagocytic activity, and maintain a better balance of mucosal immunity.
Control and reduce inflammation and its mediators, which is mainly responsible for the acute pain suffered by some patients.
Counteract the inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects promoted by stress and anxiety, often linked to recurrences of these infections, and the fear of new infections.
