{"id":12660,"date":"2025-06-26T10:30:13","date_gmt":"2025-06-26T10:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/?p=12660"},"modified":"2025-06-30T07:37:30","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T07:37:30","slug":"cystitis-why-treating-the-bowel-could-be-the-key-to-a-healthier-bladder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/chronic-conditions\/cystitis-why-treating-the-bowel-could-be-the-key-to-a-healthier-bladder\/","title":{"rendered":"Cystitis: why treating the bowel could be the key to a healthier bladder"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div style=\"background-color:#f2f2f2;color:#32373c\" class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-profile-box round ab-has-avatar ab-font-size-14 ab-block-profile ab-profile-columns\"><div class=\"ab-profile-column ab-profile-avatar-wrap\"><div class=\"ab-profile-image-wrap\"><figure class=\"ab-profile-image-square\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" class=\"ab-profile-avatar wp-image-12661\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2025\/06\/26102214\/vicky-1750933334-Pamex-_NE-headshot.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2025\/06\/26102214\/vicky-1750933334-Pamex-_NE-headshot.jpg 400w, https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2025\/06\/26102214\/vicky-1750933334-Pamex-_NE-headshot-125x125.jpg 125w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div><div class=\"ab-profile-column ab-profile-content-wrap\"><h2 class=\"ab-profile-name\" style=\"color:#32373c\">Niamh Elliott<\/h2><p class=\"ab-profile-title\" style=\"color:#32373c\">Medical Manager, Pamex Limited<\/p><div class=\"ab-profile-text\"><\/div><ul class=\"ab-social-links\"><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Urinary tract infections (UTIs), including cystitis, are among the most common bacterial infections in women worldwide. Unfortunately, for many, it can become a frustrating and painful cycle.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>More than half of all women will experience at least one UTI in their lifetime, and up to 30% will go on to have another. Antibiotics are the primary treatment for UTIs. However, their overuse is contributing to a growing global health crisis: antimicrobial resistance (AMR).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-amr-threat-demands-better-uti-management\"><strong>AMR threat demands better UTI management<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Repeated antibiotic exposure promotes the spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria. The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified AMR as one of the top 10 global public health threats. By 2050, antimicrobial-resistant infections could claim more lives annually than cancer \u2014 a sobering reminder of the urgent need to rethink how we manage recurrent UTIs.<strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-the-bowel-matters-in-bladder-health\"><strong>Why the bowel matters in bladder health<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The connection between the bowel and bladder might not be immediately obvious, but it is crucial to understanding and preventing UTIs.\u00a0Over 90% of uncomplicated cystitis cases are caused by pathogens, most commonly Escherichia coli (E. coli), which naturally reside in the bowel. These bacteria can migrate from the anal area to the urinary tract, where they can cause a cystitis infection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This movement of bacteria highlights why targeting the bowel \u2014 rather than just the bladder \u2014 can be an effective strategy for preventing cystitis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>The connection between the bowel and bladder <br>might not be immediately obvious, but it is <br>crucial to understanding and preventing UTIs.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-unique-antibiotic-free-strategy\"><strong>A unique, antibiotic-free strategy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One innovative approach involves the use of mucoprotectants \u2014 substances that form a protective barrier in the gut, helping to reduce the adhesion of harmful bacteria to the intestinal wall. Xyloglucan, a plant-derived mucoprotectant, works in this way to limit the growth and migration of E. coli from the bowel to the urinary tract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Supporting natural ingredients \u2014 hibiscus and propolis \u2014 work in the bladder by mildly acidifying the urine, making it less hospitable to bacteria. This helps the body clear the infection and reduces urinary discomfort. When combined, these ingredients have been shown to relieve symptoms and reduce the risk of recurrent cystitis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-benefits-of-novel-uti-approach\"><strong>Benefits of novel UTI approach<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>These benefits are supported by the 2025 European Association of Urology (EAU) Guidelines, which state: \u2018A combination of xyloglucan, hibiscus and propolis is effective in relieving acute cystitis symptoms and preventing recurrence.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By also focusing on the gut, this novel treatment can help break the cycle of recurrent UTIs and reduce the use of antibiotics. For women seeking a new way forward, science is pointing to the bowel as a smart place to start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"color:#32373c;background-color:#00d1b2\" class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-notice ab-font-size-18 ab-block-notice\" data-id=\"5e5432\"><div class=\"ab-notice-text\" style=\"border-color:#00d1b2\"><p><strong>Utipro\u00ae Plus AF<\/strong> is a Class IIa Medical Device for the control and prevention of UTIs.<br\/>It contains xyloglucan, hibiscus, and propolis \u2014 the combination recognised in the latest European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines.<br\/>Distributed in Ireland by <strong>Pamex Limited<\/strong>.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><a id=\"_msocom_1\"><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Urinary tract infections (UTIs), including cystitis, are among the most common bacterial infections in women worldwide. Unfortunately, for many, it can become a frustrating and painful cycle. More than half of all women will experience at least one UTI in their lifetime, and up to 30% will go on to have another. Antibiotics are the &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/chronic-conditions\/cystitis-why-treating-the-bowel-could-be-the-key-to-a-healthier-bladder\/\">Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":12662,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5977],"tags":[5978],"class_list":["post-12660","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chronic-conditions","tag-chronic-conditions-2025"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2025\/06\/26102811\/vicky-1750933690-AdobeStock_235644272-600x400.jpg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2025\/06\/26102811\/vicky-1750933690-AdobeStock_235644272-600x600.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"henryphillips","author_link":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/author\/henryphillips\/"},"vicky_index_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12660","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12660"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12660\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12663,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12660\/revisions\/12663"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12662"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}