S2E1 Gender health gaps: The true cost of chronic UTI - with Athena Lamnisos and Dr Christine Ekechi

Media Storm

Off-label antibiotics ordered from Hong Kong, bacteriophages cultivated in Georgia, bladder fulguration undergone in Turkey - these are some of the lengths countless women are resorting to in desperate bids to rid themselves of chronic urinary tract infections (UTIs).

In March, the NHS finally recognised the existence of chronic UTI, a debilitating condition affecting 1.7 million people - mostly women - in the UK. But months later, our exclusive research reveals sufferers are spending up to hundreds of thousands of pounds treating themselves, while NHS healthcare guidelines fail to mention the condition at all.

This week, Media Storm dives deep into underfunding, lack of research, misdiagnosing and medical gaslighting impacting healthcare for women and minority groups. We’re joined in the studio by Athena Lamnisos, CEO of The Eve Appeal, and Dr Christine Ekechi, obstetrician & gynaecologist, to discuss the roots of this “gender health gap”, the intersections within it, and the role of the mainstream media in reforming - or reinforcing - the status quo.

The episode is hosted by Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia).

Guests:

• Athena Lamnisos @eveappeal @athenalamnisos1
• Dr Chirstine Ekechi @DrEkechi (T) @dr_christine­_ekechi (IG)

Sources:

• Chronic UTI UK statistics: https://cutic.co.uk/what-is-chronic-uti/
• Outdated urine testing: https://bit.ly/3ybEvn6
• Endometriosis diagnoses (UK): pslhub.org/learn/patient-safety-in-health-and-care/womens-health/appg-on-endometriosis-inquiry-report-2020-endometriosis-in-the-uk-time-for-change-october-2020-r3279/#:~:text=Summary,care%20at%20the%20right%20time. (note 2009): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19196878/
• Medical student gender ratios (UK): https://bit.ly/3beU58B
• US news analysis May 2021: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.644284/full

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