Does Drinking Additional Water Prevent Recurrent UTI?

Recurrent urinary tract infection (UTI) in premenopausal women causes substantial morbidity and raises concerns about antimicrobial resistance associated with repeated courses of antibiotics. To test whether additional hydration lowers risk for recurrent UTI, investigators in Bulgaria randomized 140 women with ≥3 episodes of cystitis during the past year who reported drinking <1.5 L fluid daily to receive an additional 1.5 L of water daily (water group) or no additional fluid (control group).

At 1-year follow up, mean number of cystitis episodes was 1.7 in the water group versus 3.2 in the control group and mean number of antibiotic courses was 1.9 in the water group versus 3.6 in the control group (P<0.001 for both comparisons).