Advances in the Management of Acute and Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections Caused by Resistant Pathogens – What’s Next?

Abstract

Uncomplicated urinary tract infections (uUTI) are one of the most common infections in the community, affecting >150 million people each year worldwide, and being responsible for large amounts of antibiotic prescribing.1,2 Up to 80% of females will experience at least one uUTI in their lifetime, and 45% will have recurrent uUTI.3 The debilitating symptoms that accompany urinary tract infections (UTI), including pain and urinary urgency, coupled with the unpredictability of recurrence, negatively impact quality of life (QoL).1,3 The GSK Industry Symposium took place on 1st July 2022 as part of the European Association of Urology (EAU) Conference in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and focused on the challenges surrounding the diagnosis and management of uUTIs and recurrent UTIs in the context of increasing antimicrobial resistance. During the presentations, speakers Debra Fromer, Vik Khullar, and Florian Wagenlehner, all specialists in urology, outlined the challenges facing clinicians and patients in treating UTIs effectively whilst maintaining good antibiotic stewardship. The wide-ranging discussions included questions around differential diagnosis, personalised approaches to treatment, and the challenges of treating recurrent UTIs. The panel also discussed the need for new strategies to manage such infections, and highlighted alternatives to antibiotics that are under development and could help to slow the rise in antimicrobial resistance. The symposium finished on a positive note with discussions around new and emerging therapies, such as immune stimulation, vaccination, and fulguration, that could help many females to break the debilitating cycle of recurrent UTIs