Background- In recurrent urinary tract infections (RUTIs) usual prophylactic antibiotic
regimes do not change the long term risk of recurrence.
Objective- D-Mannose is a sugar, it sticks to E. coli bacteria, the aim of the study was to
evaluate its efficacy in the treatment and prophylaxis of recurrent UTIs.
Design, setting and participants- : In this crossover trial female patient were eligible for
the study if they had recurrent UTIs, that is three ore more episodes during the preceding 12
months. Suitable patients were randomly assigned to antibiotic treatment with
trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole or to a regimen of oral D Mannose for 24 weeks, and received
the other intervention in the second phase of the study.
Outcome measurements and statistical analysis- The time to recurrence of UTI, bladder pain
(VAS p) and urinary urgency (VAS u) were evaluated at the end of antibiotic therapy and at
the and of 24 weeks fo D Mannose. The results for quantitative variables were expressed as
mean values and SD as they were all normally distributed (Shapiro-Wilk test). T-test for
paired data was used to analyze differences of time of recurrence, VAS pain, Vas urgency and
number of voidings between treatment. Data analysis was performed with STATA statistical
package (release 11,1, 2010, Stata Corporation, College Station, Texas, USA).