| Interview with the Medical Team at the Artemis Cystitis Clinic in London (Part 2)
We had the opportunity to speak directly with the medical team — about diagnostic procedures, treatment protocols, and the safety of long-term therapy for chronic urinary tract infection.
● Recurrence Prevention, Research, and Future Developments
9. Once a patient has completed treatment, what steps do you recommend to prevent recurrence or manage long-term health? Research and Advancements
It is absolutely vital that patients have a ready supply of antibiotics available to start on the first hint of a recurrence of cystitis. It is remarkable how readily such acute attacks clear if treated promptly so the risk of going back to chronic or recurrent infections is small.
When treatment is complete, patients will remain on an open appointment which means they can contact us if they have recurrent problems and we can give them advice quickly.
10. Are there any new studies or findings in the field of chronic UTI that have influenced your approach to treatment?
The ALTAR trial was good to promote Methenamine Hippurate. Vaccines and Installations have all been published trials but Cochrane reviews state further studies needed to prove efficacy. Currently we are awaiting further studies on alternative ways of antibiotic administration into the bladder lining and these are still not available for human use. New Antibiotic – Gepotidacin – unsure about long term safety data on this so we need to know a bit more when used in clinical practive before we feel this is safe.
11. What do you see as the future of chronic UTI treatment—are there any new technologies, therapies, or approaches that you are hopeful about?
Treating Index UTI till it is eradicated and using longer regimes to prevent embedded infection.
Novel drug delivery systems to deliver antibiotics into cells and hop to use as a one off treatment or repeat treatment. Other groups working on polymers. Phage therapy gaining popularity in the states- Unsure about the real life data
● International and German Patients
12. This interview is specifically aimed at German-speaking patients. What advice would you give to patients from Germany or other countries who are considering treatment at your clinic but are unsure of how to proceed?
If they contact the administrative team here at ClinicAdministration@ArtemisCystitis.com they will be able to advise on the process necessary to see us.
For non-UK residents we must stipulate that they inform us of a clinician with an email address to whom we may copy our summaries so that a doctor in their locale is aware of the treatment regimen.
We offer face to face and remote consultations.to men and women and follow up requires 3-4 monthly visits. The advantage of Face to face consults is that we can perform fresh urine microscopy to monitor progress and guide treatment.
13. For patients who cannot visit your clinic regularly due to geographical or financial constraints, are there options for remote consultation or monitoring?
For those unable to come to the UK, an alternative is to have the microscopy in Germany and send us the results and we provide information on how this can be done. We expect a patient to attend the UK clinic at least once a year. Prescriptions can only be provided in person and PDF prescriptions can be sent across provided the local Pharmacies are willing to accept them.
14. Do you have any connections with chronic UTI practitioners in other countries, including Germany? If not, is this something you might consider in the future?
We have practitioners from across the world collaborate, question and communicate via email and some even visit and observe in clinic and we very much encourage this. We also provide guidance for units willing to set up a CUTI clinic and share our protocols and methods.
15. What do you think are the biggest challenges for German patients seeking treatment for chronic UTI? Would you consider collaborating with German clinics or practitioners to bring your expertise closer to patients in Germany?
Challenges:
- Travel
- Unable to procure Long term antibiotics locally due to national antibiotic stewardship guidelines being really strict all over
- Unable to obtain a Standardized Fresh Urine Microscopy
- Costs of travel add up to financial burden to the patient
- Side effects from medications & needing medication changes
- How we provide prescriptions
Solution:
- Book all dates in advance and flights or trains are cheaper
- Have a local doctor willing to take on your case on an individual basis
- find a lab to do fresh urine microscopy with counts
Collaboration with Clinicians in Germany:
Happy to work with a dedicated Medical team who will maintain standards and set up the governance structure needed locally to run this specialist service.
● Awareness, Recognition, and Patient Engagement
16. Chronic UTI is a recognised diagnosis in the UK. Do you know what efforts were made to achieve this recognition?
CUTI was accepted as a diagnosis in the UK IN 2022. This required years of lobbying and a core group of patients with Prof Malone-Lee approaching NHS England and completing all the required paperwork, representation at meetings and adequate references to enable this to happen. This varies from one country to another. Local policies and procedures should be something the German Medical team will need to work on.
17. What role can patients with chronic UTIs play in shaping the future of how this condition is understood and treated in their own countries?
Patient advocacy and support groups are key to raising awareness and we are already seeing every country with core group starting a website. Patient voice is powerful and Research participation is key in furthering awareness, early treatment and better treatment for Index UTIs. Speaking at Medical conferences, sharing patient experience if really powerful.
18. What do you believe are the biggest barriers to public awareness and understanding of chronic UTIs? How can patients and practitioners work together to overcome these barriers?
Biggest barriers are: Guidelines suggesting 3 day treatment and overreliance on
faulty diagnostics and patients symptoms being dismissed.
Definitely the doctors and patient groups can work together to recognize and treat the index infections properly to prevent CUTI and in patients with CUTI, not dismissing them and treating them adequately will help reduce the length of suffering for each individual.
19. Do you have any final thoughts or remarks you would like to share with our readers, particularly those who may be navigating the challenges of chronic UTI?
Trust your symptoms, seek help early, persist on securing an explanation, don’t let faulty diagnostics make you second guess your symptoms, request specialist help and do your online research as the internet is a powerful tool.
We sincerely thank the physicians at the Artemis Cystitis Clinic in London for taking the time to answer our questions.
Their dedication, expertise, and many years of experience in treating chronic urinary tract infections are a valuable source of hope and guidance for many patients.”
| Read Interview Part 1