As of 2005, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, urinary tract infections in general prove responsible for four million outpatient hospital visits every year. Cystitis is a urinary tract infection that occurs in the bladder. Like all infections of the urinary tract, E. coli is the main culprit. The bacteria reach the bladder by migrating up the urethra. Fortunately, various remedies can treat cystitis.
Nitrofurantoin
Nitrofurantoin is an antibiotic used as a remedy for cystitis. It is swallowed and absorbed, and the kidneys quickly excrete it into the urine. When the nitrofurantoin within the urine reaches the urinary bladder, it contacts the bacteria there. Once inside the bacteria, it uses an enzyme to change nitrofurantoin so that it damages their DNA, as explained by Gordon Archer, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Microbiology/Immunology at the Virginia Commonwealth University in "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine."
TMP-SMX
Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, or TMP-SMX, is an antibiotic combination that stops bacteria from making folic acid, amino acids and DNA. The microorganisms need the ability to make these substances to grow and survive. Sulfamethoxazole if used alone, would only slow down the growth of bacteria. When used along with trimethoprim, the two remedies together kill the microorganisms. However, bacteria have become more resistant to TMP-SMX, per William Petri, Jr., M.D., Ph.D., Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health at the University of Virginia Health Systems in "Goodman & Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics."
Fluoroquinolones
This group of antibiotics interferes with two enzymes that bacteria must use when they duplicate their DNA. Enzymes are proteins that speed up reactions. The enzyme called DNA gyrase--also called topoisomerase II--relaxes the DNA so it can duplicate. The topoisomerase IV enzyme helps the DNA to separate after it has duplicated. Because fluoroquinolones interfere with bacterial DNA, they kill bacteria. Walter Stamm, M.D., Professor of Medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine writes in "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine" that if the resistance to TMP-SMX becomes higher than 20 percent in a particular area of the country, then physicians should use nitrofurantoin or the fluoroquinolones.
Cranberry Juice
Cranberrry juice can remedy cystitis and urinary tract infections in general, according to Ara DerMarderosian, Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Chemistry at the University of the Sciences in "The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals." If the juice has not been processed, then it contains a substance called anthocyanidin. Due to this, E. coli cannot attach to the inside lining of the urinary tract.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Urinary Tract Infections
- "Goodman & Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics"; Laurence Brunton, Ph.D.; 2006
- "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine"; Anthony Fauci, M.D., Dennis Kasper, M.D., Dan Longo, M.D. et al.; 2008
- The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals: Cranberry
