HomeLifestyleHealth & FitnessHow A Common Disease Makes You More Vulnerable To UTIs, Other Infections

How A Common Disease Makes You More Vulnerable To UTIs, Other Infections

Published on

Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are associated with lowered immunity and recurrent infections. The antimicrobial peptide psoriasin, which impairs the cell barrier of the urine bladder and raises the risk of urinary tract infection, is present in lower concentrations in the immune systems of persons with diabetes, according to research from Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet.

The findings were published in Nature Communications.

Diabetes is caused by a shortage of insulin and/or a decrease in insulin activity. A hormone called insulin controls how much glucose (sugar) and energy are delivered to cells. When a person has type 1 diabetes, their bodies stop manufacturing insulin, whereas, in type 2 diabetes, the cells have grown less responsive to insulin, which also contributes to high blood glucose levels. Diabetes is a common, debilitating condition.

It impairs the innate immune system, making many individuals more susceptible to common illnesses, such as urinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by E. coli bacteria.

In diabetics, they can lead to urinary tract sepsis.

Natural antibiotic

Researchers at the Karolinska Institutet have now looked into the relationship between psoriasin, an endogenous antibiotic that is a component of the innate immune system, and glucose levels in people with diabetes (type 1, type 2, or prediabetes).

The researchers examined amounts of psoriasin and other peptides required for ensuring that the bladder mucosa remains intact and defends against infection using urine, urinary bladder cells, and blood serum samples from patients. The results were then confirmed in mice and in infected and uninfected bladder cells.

“We found that high glucose concentrations reduce the levels of the antimicrobial peptide psoriasin, while insulin has no effect,” writes Annelie Brauner, professor at the Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet who led the study. 

“People with diabetes have lower levels of psoriasin, which weakens the cells’ protective barrier function and increases the risk of bladder infection.”

Oestrogen treatment decreased the bacterial population.

Professor Brauner’s lab has previously demonstrated that oestrogen treatment restores the protective function of bladder cells in people and mice, thereby helping to modulate the immunological response to a UTI.

So, the researchers looked at what happens to infected cells when they are treated with oestrogen and then exposed to high levels of glucose. They discovered that the medication increased psoriasin levels and decreased bacterial populations, suggesting that it may possibly have an impact on diabetic patients.

“We now plan to probe deeper into the underlying mechanisms of infections in individuals with diabetes,” adds the study’s lead author Soumitra Mohanty, a researcher at the same department at Karolinska Institutet. “The ultimate goal is to reduce the risk of infection in this growing patient group.”

Image Credit: Getty

You were reading: How A Common Disease Makes You More Vulnerable To UTIs, Other Infections

Latest articles

Here’s How and When Mount Everest-sized ‘Devil Comet’ Can Be Seen With Naked Eye

Mount Everest sized Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, also known as "devil comet" which is making its...

Something Fascinating Happened When a Giant Quantum Vortex was Created in Superfluid Helium

Scientists created a giant swirling vortex within superfluid helium that is chilled to the...

The Science of Middle-aged Brain and the Best Thing You Can Do to Keep it Healthy, Revealed

Middle age: It is an important period in brain aging, characterized by unique biological...

Science Shock: Salmon’s Food Choices Better at Reducing Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke

Salmon: Rich in Health Benefits, Yet May Offer Less Nutritional Value - This is...

More like this

Here’s How and When Mount Everest-sized ‘Devil Comet’ Can Be Seen With Naked Eye

Mount Everest sized Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, also known as "devil comet" which is making its...

Something Fascinating Happened When a Giant Quantum Vortex was Created in Superfluid Helium

Scientists created a giant swirling vortex within superfluid helium that is chilled to the...

The Science of Middle-aged Brain and the Best Thing You Can Do to Keep it Healthy, Revealed

Middle age: It is an important period in brain aging, characterized by unique biological...