Azo
Menu

Learn More about Treatment for UTI Symptoms

Let us help you help your patients with their urinary health needs

UTIs account for over eight million
patient visits annually1
40% of women
self-diagnose a UTI and do not consult a provider2
25% of women
with a UTI will experience a reoccurrence within 6-12 months3

Considered to be the most common bacterial infection, urinary tract infections are a frequent reason for provider visits, particularly among women, accounting for more than eight million patient visits a year.1 The actual incidence is believed to be even higher, because many women self-diagnose a UTI and do not consult a provider.2 To address this, talk to your patients about always contacting a healthcare provider at the onset of a UTI.

Research shows nearly one in three women will have had at least one episode of a UTI

requiring antimicrobial therapy by age 24, and almost half of all women will experience one UTI during their lifetime.4

The painful and distressing symptoms of UTIs include dysuria, urinary urgency and frequency, suprapubic tenderness, bloody urine, and fever, chills and malaise.1 In addition to morbidity issues, UTIs have significant financial implications as well. The annual cost of UTIs in the U.S. is estimated to be $1.6 billion.4

Optimizing the prevention, diagnosis and management of UTIs is especially significant in light of today’s cost control pressures, provider time limitations and antibiotic resistance concerns.

UTI PROTECTION

As a healthcare provider, you know the importance of preventative maintenance. For UTIs, cranberries offer recognized urinary tract protection.5,6

Cranberries contain several key compounds shown to be effective in maintaining urinary tract health.5,6 Proanthocyanidins and other compounds such as phenolics, organic acids and sugars contribute to supporting a healthy urinary tract.5,6

Studies have demonstrated that cranberries may interfere with the adhesion of potentially pathogenic E. coli to the uroepithelium, helping these bacteria to be more readily flushed from the urinary tract.5,6

In a UTI, infection occurs when bacteria adhere to cell walls with their hair-like fimbriae (pili). Cranberry’s mechanism of action involves inhibiting fimbriae’s adhesion capabilities, so bacteria is unable to stick to cell walls.7

The Benefits of AZO Cranberry®

AZO Cranberry® is a daily dietary supplement that provides a whole fruit cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) extract, Pacran®, which has been clinically proven to promote E. coli anti-adhesion activity.8

Pacran® is a proprietary ingredient from whole fruit cranberry standardized to proanthocyanidins for urinary tract health.* Efficacy studies have shown a 500mg daily dose of Pacran® resulted in:

  • Significantly more anti-adhesion activity in the uroepithelium than placebo8
  • 36% reduction in urinary E. coli5,6
  • 58% relative risk reduction of UTI versus placebo5,6

Read more about these studies.

In addition to the pain and discomfort associated with UTIs, there is also the pressing concern about antibiotic resistance, especially in patients with recurrent infection. AZO Cranberry gives your patients a simple way to help maintain a healthy urinary tract without the extra sugar or calories found in many cranberry juice drinks.*

UTI SYMPTOMS

UTIs are a source of significant pain. Symptoms can force many patients to put their lives on hold.1

The painful and distressing symptoms of UTIs include:1

  • Pain and burning during urination
  • A strong need to urinate often, even right after the bladder has been emptied
  • Pain in the back or side below the ribs
  • Abdominal pain
  • Cloudy, dark, bloody or foul-smelling urine
  • Fever or chills
  • Muscle aches

Without proper treatment by a medical professional, some UTIs can lead to serious problems, such as chronic kidney infection that can cause permanent damage including kidney scars and poor kidney function. Some acute kidney infections can be life threatening, especially if septicemia results.1

The Benefits of AZO Urinary Pain Relief®

AZO Urinary Pain Relief® with phenazopyridine hydrochloride can be the solution your patients want for fast over-the-counter UTI symptom relief.

In the U.S., phenazopyridine hydrochloride has been prescribed for symptomatic relief of urinary tract infections since 1914.9 Phenazopyridine HCl is excreted in the urine (65% of the oral dosage is chemically unchanged) where it exerts a topical analgesic effect on the mucosa of the urinary tract.10,11

AZO Urinary Pain Relief is available over the counter in two strengths: Maximum strength (97.5mg of phenazopyridine HCl) and Regular strength (95mg of phenazopyridine HCl).

AZO Urinary Pain Relief is available at all major retailers – and may be particularly beneficial if your patient doesn’t have adequate health insurance or if there is a phenazopyridine hydrochloride prescription shortage.

The Benefits of AZO Urinary Tract DefenseTM

AZO Urinary Tract DefenseTM is an option for patients who want to help keep a UTI from progressing until they can come in to see you for medical treatment. It targets bacteria to help control the infection12 and simultaneously helps relieve the discomfort associated with this type of infection.∞

AZO Urinary Tract Defense consists of an enteric-coated tablet containing the antibacterial agent methenamine and the analgesic sodium salicylate (NSAID).

  • Methenamine is an antibacterial agent in an acidic environment. Therefore in the urine, methenamine salts are converted to formaldehyde, which is an antiseptic. Thus, within the bladder, these agents can be effective in targeting undesirable bacterial growth associated with urinary tract infections.12
  • Sodium salicylate is an NSAID that can help with general pain relief.

When a UTI strikes, your patients want fast pain relief, but keeping the infection in check is just as vital. Offering both treatments together – in the form of methenamine and sodium salicylate – may be the answer until your patients can get to your office for an antibiotic prescription.

UTI DETECTION

In light of studies that show many patients self-diagnose a UTI and do not consult a provider2, it’s especially important to urge your patients to come to your office for proper diagnosis and treatment.

Encouraging patients to take a simple UTI detection test at home can make them feel like partners in their own care. With at-home results, patients can feel more motivated and in control of their health, with immediate results that you can then verify when they come to your office.

While urine culture remains the gold standard for UTI diagnosis, home test strips that check for leukocytes and nitrite in urine can aid in the screening of UTIs.

AZO products you can depend on - for the patients who depend on you*

Information for You and Your Patients

AZO helps you support your patients with a full line of urinary and bladder products that are safe, effective and available in many stores. You strive to do all you can to support your patients’ health. AZO can help. Recommend the right AZO products today.

Learn More

1National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.Urinary Tract Infection in Adults. Available at: http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-topics/urologic-disease/urinary-tract-infections-in-adults/Pages/facts.aspx#ft1. Accessed March 28,2016.

2Women’s Health Study 2011 commissioned by i-Health, inc.

3Foxman B, Brown P. Epidemiology of urinary tract infections: transmission and risk factors, incidence, and costs. Infectious Disease Clinics of North America, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 227–241, 2003.

4Foxman B. Epidemiology of urinary tract infections: incidence, morbidity, and economic costs. Dis Mon. 2003 Feb;49(2):53-70.

5Sengupta K, et al. A randomized, double blind, controlled, dose dependent clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of a proanthocyanidin standardized whole cranberry (Vacciniummacrocarpon) powder on the infections of the urinary tract. Current Bioactive Compounds, 2011; 7:39-46.

6Vostalova J, et al.A randomized double blind placebo controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of cranberry powder as a prophylactic againstrecurrent urinary tract infections in women. Presented at the 15th annual PhytoPharm congress, Nuremberg, Germany, July 25-27, 2011.

7Schmidt DR, Sobota AE. An examination of the anti-adherence activity of cranberry juice on urinary and nonurinary bacterial isolates.Microbios. 1988;55(224-225):173-81.

8Howell A. Assessment of bacterial anti-adhesion activity of Pacran® in human urine against P-type uropathogenic Escherichia coli. A randomized, placebo-controlled, ex vivo, double-blind, crossover trial.Associate Research Scientist, Rutgers University, 2012.

9Zelenitsky SA, Zhanel GG.Phenazopyridine in Urinary Tract Infections.The Annals of Pharmocotherapy, July/August 1996, Volume 30; p 866.

10Hardman JG, Limbird LE, Molinoff PB, Ruddon RW, Goodman AG, eds. Goodman and Gilman’s The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics. 9th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 1996, p 1070.

11Warner Chilcott– Pyridium Rx (http://www.wcrx.com/pdfs/pi/pyridium_pi_cpc.pdf).

12Lo TS, et al. Methenamine: a forgotten drug for preventing recurrent urinary tract infection in a multidrug resistance era. Expert Review of Anti-infective Therapy, 2014; 12(5):549-554.

13Teco Diagnostics Technical File: UTI Test Strips. Document QL801-215, issue date 10/09/2013.

Close