Prof. Orsolya Martha: Too many antibiotics are used in urinary tract infections – resistance is increasing

At the UROFUN 2025 – Updates in Functional Urology International Symposium, Professor Dr. Orsolya Martha, head of the Urology Clinic at Mureș County Clinical Hospital, warned that excessive use of antibiotics in urinary tract infections is leading to widespread multi-drug resistance and even pan-resistance.

“Too many antibiotics are being used! In most cases, urinary tract infections are not properly treated. Antibiotics are prescribed for too long or inappropriately, leading to multi-resistance and sometimes pan-resistance – meaning no antibiotic remains effective,” Prof. Martha stated.

She added that the Urology Clinic in Târgu Mureș treats around 500 patients per month, most commonly with urinary infections, renal colic, or urological cancers. “Unfortunately, we are seeing cancers in increasingly younger patients – bladder cancer at 49, testicular tumors at 20–25, and prostate cancer around age 50,” she noted.

Prof. Martha emphasized that functional urology is an essential part of modern urology, focusing on patients’ quality of life after treatment. “Ten or twenty years ago, post-prostatectomy outcomes focused only on surgical results. Today, erectile function and urinary continence are crucial parameters of success,” she said.

The symposium also addresses topics such as overactive bladder, urinary incontinence in women, menopausal issues, and kidney stone disease, particularly frequent in Transylvania due to high meat consumption.

Dr. Martha highlighted the advances in robotic surgery, now practiced in 23 centers across Romania. “Hospitals in Bistrița, Oradea, Brașov, Cluj, and Timișoara already use surgical robots. We hope that Târgu Mureș will soon join them,” she concluded.