Role of Vitamin C and Citrus Fruits on Urinary Tract Infections in Owerri, Imo State of Nigeria

Abstract

Complementary and alternative medicine has been recognized as an effective approach for the treatment of urinary tract infections by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This experimental descriptive study assessed the role of Vitamin C and Citrus fruits on Urinary Tract Infections in Owerri. A total of 384 participants comprising men and women residing in Owerri, ranging from 18 to 70 years were selected using random sampling technique. The data were collected using self-structured interview questionnaire as well as the experimental results, and were analyzed using simple percentages and Odds Ratio. Out of 384 participants, 126(32.8%) of them had urinary tract infections, 26.3% males were infected, while, 39.2% of the females had infections. Of the 107 participants who were consuming Vitamin C and Citrus fruits, 92.5% (OR=3.8) of them had no bacterial infection growth; out of 90 participants of those on Vitamin C alone, 77.8%(OR=2.4) had no infection, as 60.0%(OR=1.8) of those on fruits alone had no infection, while, those without Vitamin C and Citrus fruits had the highest growth infection rate of 65.5%. The result revealed sharp differences in the rate of prevention of growths of infection among the four groups of the participants. The data analysis, showed that there was statistical significance (p=0.05) in the rate of prevention of urinary tract infection growth rates among the four groups. It is pertinent, to create more awareness among the population in the locality and indeed in the general populace on the importance of Vitamin C and Citrus fruits.