beta-carotene and Urinary-Tract-Infections

The purpose of the present paper was to investigate the effects of vitamin A supplementation on recurrent lower urinary tract infections (RUTI).. Twenty-four patients with non-complicated RUTI were included in a placebo-controlled, double-blinded study. Twelve patients received a single dose of 200,000 IU vitamin A in addition to antimicrobial therapy. Patient and control groups (each containing 12 patients) were followed for up to 1 year and were evaluated for eradication and frequency of lower urinary tract infections (UTI). Serum levels of vitamin A and beta-carotene were determined periodically.. During the first 6 months follow-up period the infection rate of the vitamin A-supplemented group reduced from 3.58 to 0.75 per 6 months, and in the subsequent 6 months the infection rate was 1.75 per 6 months. These values were calculated as 2.75, 2.83 and 2.66, respectively, in the placebo group.. Vitamin A supplementation may have an adjuvant effect on the treatment of RUTI.

Topics: Administration, Oral; beta Carotene; Child; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Double-Blind Method; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Incidence; Male; Recurrence; Spectrophotometry; Treatment Outcome; Turkey; Urinary Tract Infections; Urodynamics; Vitamin A; Vitamins

To evaluate the role of vitamin A on renal scarring in recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs).. Twenty three children with UTIs and renal scarring (mean (SD) age 7.3 (3.9) years) and 91 children without renal scarring (6.4 (3.4) years) were studied. All the children had serum vitamin A and beta-carotene measurements and nutritional evaluation. Renal scarring was assessed by technetium-99m dimercaptosuccinic acid (99mTc DMSA) scanning. Nutritional status of all the patients was within normal limits and not different between the groups.. Mean (SD) serum vitamin A and beta-carotene concentrations were not significantly different between the patients with and without renal scarring (vitamin A 53.2 (22.6)/46.8 (17.0) micrograms/dl and beta-carotene 232.3 (201.3)/272.4 (86.0) micrograms/dl respectively). However, when the patients with renal scarring and with greater than 10% difference among the DMSA uptakes of their kidneys (11 cases) were evaluated, a significant negative correlation was determined between the serum vitamin A concentrations and the magnitude of the difference in uptakes of each kidney. The same relation was not true for serum beta-carotene concentrations.. This study demonstrated a relation between serum vitamin A concentrations and magnitude of hypoactivity in 99mTc DMSA scanning in kidneys with advanced scarring.

Topics: beta Carotene; Child; Child, Preschool; Cicatrix; Humans; Kidney Diseases; Radionuclide Imaging; Recurrence; Technetium Tc 99m Dimercaptosuccinic Acid; Urinary Tract Infections; Vitamin A

The percent population attributable risk (AR) for kidney cancer was estimated in relation to smoking habits, beta-carotene intake, history of cystitis and family history of kidney cancer, using data from a case-control study conducted between 1985 and 1989 in Milan, northern Italy. The data comprised 133 histologically confirmed cases of incident kidney cancer and 392 controls, admitted to hospital for a wide range of acute, non-neoplastic, non-smoking-related diseases. On the basis of multivariate odds ratios (ORs), smoking habits accounted for about 26% of cases, a low beta-carotene intake for 18%, a history of cystitis for 7%, and a family history of kidney cancer in first-degree relatives for 3% of cases. Ever smoking and low beta-carotene intake combined explained 38% of all kidney cancers, and the combination of these two factors plus a history of cystitis and a family history of kidney cancer explained 45% of the incidence of the disease. Thus, even if available, dietary information was limited and the AR estimates were based on somewhat arbitrary assumptions. A considerable proportion of kidney cancers could be avoided simply by eliminating smoking and increasing consumption of fruit and vegetables in this Italian population. This would mean that about 1,500 kidney cancer deaths every year in the whole of Italy could be avoided.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Age Distribution; Aged; beta Carotene; Case-Control Studies; Confidence Intervals; Female; Humans; Incidence; Italy; Kidney Neoplasms; Logistic Models; Male; Middle Aged; Odds Ratio; Risk Factors; Sex Distribution; Smoking; Survival Rate; Urinary Tract Infections