Traditional Chinese Medicine: An Alternative Treatment Option for Refractory Recurrent

Urinary Tract Infections

Author(s): Ning Zhang, Liuyu Huang, Shiwei Liu, Yufei Wang, Yanlan Luo, Xing Jin, Jie
Guo, Yuehua Ke, Jiankui Chen, Xitong Yuan and Zeliang Chen
Source: Clinical Infectious Diseases, Vol. 56, No. 9 (1 May 2013), p. 1355
Published by: Oxford University Press
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/23483486
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Traditional Chinese Medicine: 2013ZX10004-217-002, 2013ZX10004805-006)
herbs (Rhizoma Anemarrhenae, Cortex
An Alternative Treatment and the National Basic Research Program of
Phellodendri Chinensis, Angelica sinensis,
Option for Refractory China (grant number 2009CB522602).
Rehmannia glutinosa Libosch, WolfiporPotential conflicts of interest. All authors:
Recurrent Urinary Tract
iacocos, Salvia miltiorrhiza, Rhubarb, Po
No reported conflicts.
Infections
All authors have submitted the ICMJE Form
lygonum aviculare L., Dianthus superbus,
for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest.
To the Editor—With an annual inci and Talcum). After 2 weeks, 25 patients
Conflicts that the editors consider relevant to
(73.52%)
dence of approximately 150 million cases experienced significant sympto the content of the manuscript have been
disclosed.
matic
worldwide, urinary tract infection (UTI)relief, and at 4 weeks, 30 (88.23%)
recovered
represents one of the most common bac and 3 (7.5%) showed improve
terial infections. Approximately ment.
40% of Follow-up at 6 months showed Ning Zhang,' " Liuyu Huang,2 * Shiwei Liu,1,8
Yufei Wang,2a Yanlan Luo,1 Xing Jin,3 Jie Guo,1
that only 4 (11.76%) of the recovered pa
women experience at least 1 symptom
Yuehua Ke,2 Jiankui Chen,3 Xitong Yuan,2 and
tientsap
atic UTI during their lifetime, with experienced recurrence, which is a
Zeliang Chen2
much lower recurrence rate than that fol
proximately 25% suffering recurrent UTIs 1 Wangjing Hospital, China Academy of Chinese
lowing antibiotic treatment. There wereMedical Sciences; institute of Disease Control and
(RUTIs) [1], Repeated antibiotic courses
are often prescribed for treating no adverse
and effects reported among thesePrevention, Academy of Military Medical Sciences;
and 'Affiliation Hospital, Academy of Military
cases.
preventing RUTIs, resulting in multidrug Medical Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
RUTI
and pandrug-resistant pathogens [2]. Ur has become a great health
problem
opathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is because of the multidrug and
pandrug resistance of the pathogens
responsible for 75%-90% of uncompli [4].
References
The development
cated UTIs. Because of the multidrug of new antibiotics and
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and pandrug resistance of UPEC,improvements these in treatment strategy may Nat Rev Urol 2010; 7:653-60.
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able for these RUTIs. Traditional Chinese viated and resolved via an alternative
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icine, has been extensively used in China ciples and aims of TCM are completely 558-63.
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thologies, including chronic and refrac ment [3], Instead of focusing on etiolog infection. Nat Rev Urol 2010; 7:653-60.
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been well defined. We evaluated the ef attempts to restore and improve the biomedical therapy in the treatment of rheu
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age, 51.6 ± 15.4 years) with uncomplicatTCM. Here, we indicated that refractory
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ed RUTI (defined as >3 microbiologicalRUTIs can be effectively treated with herbal medicines for the treatment of type A
ly documented episodes of symptomaticTCM. Although TCM lacks strict and H1N1 influenza: a systematic review of ran
UTI during the last year or 2 episodesrigorous clinical trials for many formu domized controlled trials. PLoS One 2011; 6:
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during the last 6 months) were recruited.
The annual incidence average was for thousands of years has proven its va
aN. Z„ L. H., S. L„ and Y. W. contributed equally to this
6.6 ± 2.5 UTIs. UPEC strains were isolat lidity [7], Therefore, to treat refractory
work.

Correspondence: Zeliang Chen, Institute of Disease Control

RUTI, we suggest that TCM is a good
ed from patients' urine and were resistant and Prevention, Academy of Military Medical Sciences. No.
alternative and complementary option. 20, Dongdajie, Fengtai District, Beijing 100071, PR China
to at least 8 antibiotics (pandrug resis
(zeliangchen@yahoo.com).
tance). They were treated with antibiotics
Clinical Infectious Diseases 2013;56(9):1355
at Western medicine hospitals but
Notes © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press

proved to be refractory to the treatment. on behalf of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All
Financial support. This work was support
rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.
These patients were treated with aed4 by the National Key Program for Infectious
permissions@oup.com.
week course of TCM consisting of 10Diseases of China (2013ZX10004-203, DOI: 10.1093/cid/cit029

CORRESPONDENCE · CID 2013:56 (1 May) · 1355

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