Urinary tract infection is one of the most common reasons to visit a family doctor. It is usually caused by bacteria (most commonly E. coli), but less commonly by fungi, viruses or parasites. They affect women much more often, as they have a significantly shorter urethra than men, so microbes have to travel a shorter distance to the bladder. The elderly, patients with functional and anatomical abnormalities of the urinary tract, diabetics and pregnant women are also more susceptible.
Depending on the site of the disease, we distinguish between lower urinary tract infections (cystitis or bladder infection) and upper urinary tract infections (pyelonephritis or kidney infection). Typical symptoms of a bladder infection are a burning sensation when urinating, frequent urination, sudden need to urinate, bladder cramps, disturbed urine, nausea and in some cases blood in the urine.
Similar symptoms also occur in irritable bladder syndrome, but in this case no organic cause can be detected and the result of microbiological examination of the urine is negative. These problems are attributed, among other things, to excessive bladder muscle activity.
Kidney infection is more serious as it is characterized by marked malaise, lumbar back pain, difficulty urinating, fever, colored urine and blood in the urine. Urinary tract infections can also be divided into uncomplicated and complicated. Uncomplicated infections occur in younger women who are not pregnant and do not have structural or functional changes in the urinary tract. All infections that do not meet this description are complex and the cause is usually determined before treatment.
Data show that urinary tract infections recur in approximately one-third of women.
The usual way to treat urinary tract infections is with antibiotics, but these are increasingly losing their effectiveness due to microbial resistance due to too frequent prescribing and too long therapies. We do not currently know the cause of the irritable bladder, and we alleviate the symptoms with anticholinergic drugs, which are characterized by unpleasant side effects such as dry mouth.
Canephron
From mid-June 2014, a new, registered traditional herbal medicine Canephron will be available in Slovenia, which contains three herbal drugs: lustrek root (Levisticum officinale Koch, radix), rosemary leaf (Rosmarinus officinalis L., folium) and centaurium herb. erythraea Rafn., herba).
They have been shown to have anti-inflammatory, diuretic, antispasmodic, anti-adhesive and antibacterial activity in pharmacological studies. The medicine has been approved by the JAZMP and is currently the only registered medicine with this release status for the treatment of urinary tract infections.
Canephron has been used worldwide for more than 45 years, and its effects have also been studied in clinical trials and case studies.
They found that:
• treatment of urinary tract infections with a combination of antibiotics and Canephron on day 5 gives the same results as self-treatment with antibiotics only on day 10;
• 3-month preventive treatment of recurrent Canephron infections reduces their incidence by 73%;
• the diuretic effect of Canephron has a beneficial effect on flushing out kidney sand, reducing the recurrence of urinary stones;
• 3 months of treatment with Canephron relieves the symptoms of an irritable bladder.
Based on long-term experience and the aforementioned research, Canephron can be used
we summarize into three areas.
1. Urinary tract infections. Canephron cures inflammation, inhibits the growth of microbes, helps flush the urinary tract to remove germs from the urinary tract and prevents cramps.
2. Irritable bladder. Canephron relaxes overactive muscles in an irritated bladder and normalizes its function.
3. Sand in the urine. Canephron with diuretic action washes sand from the urine, cures inflammation and prevents cramps.
The drug is approved for adults and adolescents over 12 years of age. For all these areas of application, both for the treatment of acute or chronic infections, as well as for the prevention of recurrence, the dosage is 3 times a day for 2 tablets. Self-medication can last for 7 days and if the symptoms improve during this time, the patient can take it until complete improvement (10 days is recommended for acute conditions, 12 weeks for chronic conditions). However, if the symptoms do not improve or even worsen within 7 days, the patient should consult a doctor.
After excluding diseases that would require different treatment, the patient can take Canephron indefinitely. Concomitant use of Canephron and antibiotics in urinary tract infections may reduce the consumption of antibiotics, and in the case of irritable bladder, anticholinergic drugs can be avoided and thus reduce the risk of side effects specific to these drugs. Urinary lavage with Canephron also reduces the chance of urinary stones forming, which is especially important for patients who are susceptible to them.
