Urinary tract analgesics for the treatment of patients with acute cystitis: where is the clinical evidence?

作者：Pergialiotis Vassilis; Arnos Pantelis; Mavros Michael N; Pitsouni Eleni; Athanasiou Stavros; Falagas Matthew E^*

来源：Expert Review of Anti-Infective Therapy, 2012, 10(8): 875-879.

DOI：10.1586/ERI.12.72

• clinical evidence
• phenazopyridine
• urinary tract analgesics
• uroanalgesics

Acute cystitis is one of the most common health-related problems in the female population. Over the last few decades, a number of drugs labeled as %26apos;urinary tract analgesics%26apos; were released; these are available over the counter and are gaining widespread resonance among the North American population. The main representatives of this class of drugs are phenazopyridine and methenamine hippurate. Methenamine%26apos;s efficacy and side effects have been well studied in a recent systematic review. On the other hand, in contrast to its widespread use, the published clinical evidence regarding phenazopyridine%26apos;s effectiveness and safety is scarce. In addition, consumers (potentially patients) appear to ignore the limitations of this kind of treatment. In this article, concerns regarding the use of over-the-counter uroanalgesics, with a focus on the relevant clinical evidence, are discussed.