Bladder Infection After Brain Injury Worsens Cognitive Problems
A study from The Ohio State University indicates that urinary tract infections (UTIs) can exacerbate cognitive impairment in patients recovering from traumatic brain injuries. The research, conducted on mice, suggests that common infections may have a more significant impact on TBI recovery than previously recognized.
Why it matters
This highlights the importance of monitoring and treating secondary infections in brain injury patients to prevent further cognitive decline.
Newswise — COLUMBUS, Ohio - A urinary tract infection that follows a moderate brain injury can worsen cognitive problems caused by the injury, new research in mice shows.
People who have experienced a traumatic brain injury (TBI) are susceptible to many types of infections, especially in the lungs. Yet previous studies have shown that bladder infections in this population are not uncommon: 15% of adult brain injury patients experience a urinary tract infection (UTI) within a year, and UTIs are responsible for up to 20% of hospital readmissions that occur within a year after a TBI. In addition, UTIs are known to cause delirium-like symptoms in medically vulnerable people.
This new study, led by researchers at The Ohio State University and published recently in the Journal of Neurotrauma , is the first publication to examine neuroimmune and cognitive effects of a post-brain injury bladder infection in an animal model.
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