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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 #urinarytractinfection #recurrent #nerveovergrowth #mastcell #monocytes