Dr. Gleicher on misconceptions surrounding UTI causes

In this video, Stephanie Gleicher, MD, discusses misconceptions surrounding the causes of urinary tract infections revealed in the recent Urology paper “Assessment and Acquisition of Knowledge Regarding Urinary Tract infection among Adult Women in the United States.” Gleicher is a urologist with Northwell Health in Garden City, New York.

Transcription:

Could you elaborate on the most surprising or interesting misconceptions surrounding UTI causes that you encountered in this study?

Most women realize that fluid intake does prevent infections, and a smaller number, but still about 50% of the cohort, agree that supplements can prevent infections. But then we also found that about 50% of women felt like infections are caused by lack of cleanliness and tight-fitting clothes. They also felt that cranberry juice prevents infections. They also felt that most women suffer from urinary tract infections. The thing that I think providers who manage women who have recurrent infections or infections in general struggle with is this belief about hygienic practice contributing to urinary tract infections, and we know that that is not usually the case. I think it's just a testament to us doing a better job of promoting evidence-based materials.

This transcription was edited for clarity.