Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

https://www.instagram.com/p/C4gPLBTLnTz/ Urinary tract infections trigger a local nerve overgrowth that plagues patients with continuing pain.  A multi-disciplinary team of Duke University pathologists and immunobiologists report this discovery after their clinical and mouse model studies. Beginning with a study of patients with recurrent urinary tract infections, they found that bacterial growth in the urinary system elevates levels of a neuropeptide nerve growth factor that in turn triggers pain nerve proliferation and persisting zombie pain.   The nerve growth factor is a byproduct of immune reactions against the bacteria by both mast cells and monocytes. In a animal model, the investigators were able to suppress this nerve overgrowth with the addition of a nerve growth factor inhibitor. This type of medication may well help future victims of recurrent urinary tract infections prevent development of this zombie pain syndrome. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciimmunol.adi5578 #uti #urinarytractin