Why do some women experience UTI pain with no clear infection? A mouse study offers clues
Why do some women experience UTI pain with no clear infection? A mouse study suggests that immune cells and an overgrowth of nerve cells could be the answer.
Each year, more than 400 million urinary tract infections occur in people around the globe. And researchers have long been puzzled by a medical mystery: Some women susceptible to recurrent UTIs experience symptoms without any signs of bacteria, or after an infection has supposedly been cleared with antibiotics.
A new study provides a potential molecular mechanism behind the phenomenon. Researchers at Duke University found that, in mice with recurrent UTIs, the immune response in the bladder acted too strongly to build back nerves lost in shedding the infection. This overgrowth of nerves caused pelvic pain and frequent urination, some of the same symptoms people with recurrent UTIs experience.
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