Cranberry dosed extract: an effective therapy for recurrent Escherichia coli cystitis in elderly patients. The GerHogar Cysticlean® study

Abstract Introduction: Cystitis is the most prevalent urinary tract infection (UTI), and antibiotics are its conventional therapy. However, the prevalence rate of antibiotic resistance to uropathogens is significantly increased. Cranberry treatment has been associated with the inhibition of Escherichia coli (Ec) adherence to uroepithelial cells due to the anti-adhesive property related to its proanthocyanidins content, and cysticlean® (CYS) is a cranberry extract which contains 240 mg PACs per capsule. Since elderly people is one of the populations mostly exposed to cystitis and bacteria antibiotic resistance, it was decided to originally study the efficacy and safety of CYS, to treat cystitis instead of antibiotic, in elderly individuals. Material & Methods: Two groups were studied: Group 1 (G1): first cystitis episode was recorded within the last 3 months before the study initiation. Group 2 (G2): frequent cystitis recurrent episodes (1-2/month or more) within the last 3 months before the study initiation. G1 patients were treated with 1 capsule of CYS every 12 h for 1 month, while G2 patients were treated up to 12 months. Comparative evaluation was performed using Student test. Results: 160 elderly ambulatory and nursing home patients suffering from recurrent cystitis were treated with CYS. G1 and G2 had 38 and 122 subjects, respectively. Cranberry-based cystitis treatment was successful in 81.57 % and 81.96 % in G1 and G2 patients, respectively. Conclusion: CYS showed to be an effective alternative therapy to antibiotics to treat cystitis recurrences caused by Ec. Neither side effects nor adverse reactions have been reported.