Are probiotics effective in preventing urinary tract infection?

source extracted confidence: high 2026-04-09
#databases-factual #humans #probiotics #randomized-controlled-trials-as-topic #treatment-outcome

Are probiotics effective in preventing urinary tract infection?

Canales et al., 2018 | Medwave | Meta Analysis

Citation

Canales Juan, Rada Gabriel. Are probiotics effective in preventing urinary tract infection?. Medwave. 2018-Apr-04;18(2):e7186. doi:10.5867/medwave.2018.02.7185

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Urinary tract infection is the most common bacterial infection and recurrences are common. Probiotics have been proposed as an alternative to decrease this risk. However, it is not clear if they are really effective. METHODS: To answer this question we used Epistemonikos, the largest database of systematic reviews in health, which is maintained by screening multiple information sources, including MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane, among others. We extracted data from the systematic reviews, reanalyzed data of primary studies, conducted a meta-analysis and generated a summary of findings table using the GRADE approach. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: We identified six systematic reviews including nine studies overall, of which seven were randomized trials. We concluded it is not clear whether probiotics decrease the risk of symptomatic urinary tract infection, because the certainty of the evidence is very low.

Key Findings

We identified six systematic reviews including nine studies overall, of which seven were randomized trials. We concluded it is not clear whether probiotics decrease the risk of symptomatic urinary tract infection, because the certainty of the evidence is very low.

Outcomes Measured

  • Requires manual extraction

Population

Field Value
Population See abstract
Sample Size See abstract
Age Range See abstract
Condition See abstract

MeSH Terms

  • Databases, Factual
  • Humans
  • Probiotics
  • Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Urinary Tract Infections

Evidence Classification

  • Level: Meta Analysis
  • Publication Types: Journal Article, Meta-Analysis
  • Vertical: probiotics-immune

Provenance

Source extracted via PubMed E-utilities API on 2026-04-09