Urinary tract infections are not only common but also excruciatingly painful. Despite numerous rounds of antibiotics, the cause of lingering UTI pain has remained a mystery for years. However, recent research has shed light on this issue.
More than half of women will experience a UTI at some point in their lives, and a quarter of these infections will recur within six months. The pain associated with these infections is notoriously challenging to alleviate, according to Marcus Drake, a neurological urologist at Imperial College London. Both patients and doctors find it frustrating due to the limited treatment options available.
Immunologist Soman Abraham of Duke University and his team discovered signs of nerve activation in urine samples from women with recurring UTIs, which was absent in samples from women without recurring infections. To further investigate, the team induced multiple UTIs in mice and observed a significant increase in nerve growth. This finding confirmed their suspicions about the role of nerves in UTI pain, prompting them to delve deeper into the underlying causes.
2024-03-01 14:00:00
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