James Malone-Lee: innovator in the research and treatment of urinary tract infection
BMJ 2022; 377 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.o937 (Published 08 April 2022) Cite this as: BMJ 2022;377:o937
- Matt Limb
- Croydon, UK
- limb{at}btinternet.com
James Malone-Lee pioneered research and treatment into chronic urinary tract infection (UTI) and was seen as the “last chance” for thousands of patients in pain who were failed by standard diagnosis and care.
Before they met him, many had been told they could not be treated or that their symptoms were caused by stress or were imaginary, says Carolyn Andrew, director of the Chronic Urinary Tract Infection Campaign (CUTIC). Malone-Lee inspired the founding of CUTIC and enabled patients to feel they were being heard and taken seriously, she says. “He advanced global understanding of this neglected, debilitating condition, proving that it can be treated. He gave patients their lives back.”
Experimental approach
But his experimental work was challenged in some quarters, with concerns raised over long term antibiotic prescriptions for patients with chronic UTI. That was “very controversial,” says Rajvinder Khasriya, a consultant urogynaecologist and close research colleague of Malone-Lee, who is continuing his work with others including Malone-Lee’s son, Matthew, a GP. “It was not the done thing, traditionally, in UTI, but there’s been a sea change in this field. What we proposed 10 years ago—that we are not detecting urine infection quickly enough and therefore missing it—is now almost becoming mainstream.”
Malone-Lee, who was emeritus professor of medicine at University College London, …
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