WHY ARE URINARY INFECTIONS SO PROMENENT IN PSP PATIENTS?

[jimandsharynp]

My dear PSP wife has not had a urinary infection but I note on this and other blogs that it seems to be something associated with PSP. Anyone know why this happens? Thanks in advance for your responses.

Jimbo

[jillannf6]

hi jimbo

jsu teb thankful tha t she has not had one ,............yet

i tend ot get two per year and i tsi assooc wiht PSP

I htink ti si because the bladder (muscles)si less able to deal iwth the problems.

i have bowel probs tooo

and it means a lot to try and not giv ein to them and keep going to the toilet as much as possible

i know in my fantastic bathroom i spend ages and ages tryign ot keep clean

lol JIll

[accountsdragon in reply to jillannf6]

Mum has a catheter and when she was at home she had one infection after another. The nurses say how important it is to keep that area really clean, but home visiting carers are frightenend of causing pain. Now she is in a nursing home the infections are much less frequent. However, she does need anti-spasmodic medication, as muscle spasms cause rush of urine, which floods the catheter.

As others have said, bowel problems also come along. Why someone needs to be changed 2 or 3 times a night when they barely eat is another conundrum.

A most undignified illness!

[Hidden in reply to accountsdragon]

From mum's point of view they began as soon as she reached middle stage. Some if it could be blamed on not drinking enough as she would have trouble accessing drinks, forget to make herself one , fall asleep often and leave half of it and so on. Her next problem was needing to wear pads as they incubate heat and cause things like thrush which can of course allow bacteria to travel upwards. She also used to restrict her drinks as going to the bathroom was becoming a major feat and would often result in falls and to the same effect she would hang on too long.

Underlying all of this is that the muscles are all being deprived of the correct messages and therefore the bladder may not be adequately emptied each time.

As Judy highlights regular toileting (and of course extra drinks ) are very important.

[kay1]

all contributing factors and of course the catheter had a lot to answer for, but a necessary evil. The fluid intake is so very important.

[groovychick]

Thanks for this info- as I too was wondering the same thing.

[mummybear]

There are lots of different reasons as you can see by other members posts, but i have been lead to believe that the brain signal isn't getting through properly and sometimes the bladder isn't emptying properly and infections can be caused by that, also not being able to clean one's self properly may also cause problems. Just keep an eye on the waterworks, any pain, inability to go properly and temperatures get checked out.

There are so many things we all wish to know, but because everyone is different things don't happen at the same time or at all for some people with PSP, So we are lucky to have sights like this to look it up. take care

[jillannf6]

hi i have had utis since b4 diagnosis wiht PSP and they were twice yearly

the bladde r does not empty properly and it kmay be difficult to keep onesle fclean too

Now i have not had one for 12 months but am keepign my fingers crossed as hygiene in this area is so difficult..

lol JILL

[hmfsli]

Hi Jimbo,

I don't know that I can answer your question as to why it happens only that it does. Mum has just been diagnosed with another UTI which I believe is related to the blocked catheter that caused a recent visit to A&E. Plenty of liquids and good hygiene will certainly be helpful in preventing infection. There is some evidence that cranberries are beneficial and a nurse colleague of my sister's recommended Vitamin C supplements.

h

[jimandsharynp in reply to hmfsli]

At this point with my wife clear unthickened liquids are ok. Some choking and coughing with clear liquids but not yet real bad. She likes tea and has been asking for a cup every afternoon. I get to play butler She does handle coffee (half cup) in the morning ok but I thicken and flavor her water for pill taking in the morning. Thanks for the information.

Jimbo

[Hidden]

Jimbo, the only additional thought I have is that it is important, when washing someone with PSP, to ensure that the washing movement between the thighs doers not cover front and back at the same time. I was advised by my brother who has been caring for his wife for some years that if washing is done with one movement there is a danger of infection being transferred from the anus to the bladder. My wife has had one bladder infection and I have since made sure I wash front and back separately. All the best,

Barnacle

[veronica_gp]

Hi. Urinary tract infections occur more in psp because the disease causes lesions in the frontal lobe (where fibers run realcionadas upper control urination). They lose control and retention shay avece increasing risk. Also, for needing catheter (in akgun time) also increases the risk

regards

[shasha]

I THINK KIT HAS A LOT TO DO WITH NOT EMPTYING THE BLADDER PROPERLY - I.E IF YOU CANT THEN THE OLD URINE POOLS AND CAUSES AN INFECTION

[Jane2212]

Mom had a few of these in middle to latter stages - the district nurse said it was due to her wearing pads, since they would get quite damp overnight and she said the tube from bladder to the opening was quite short so bacteria could travel and cause infections. We could often tell when this was happening because the infections could make her a bit confused which wasn't normally the case with her.

On a similar line - Mom wanted to stay at home to the end and as I lived a distance we managed with District Nurses and carers staying until about 10.30pm and then I would go over at 6am. I stayed over a couple of times a week. This meant that overnight Mom was on her own (though neighbours both sides kept an eye out for noises or anything too and could get into the house). It also meant that at 6am her pad was very wet (despite not drinking much !). This often meant that I had to change the bed so what I found were children's disposable bed pads - by Pampers and such like, they were about £5 for 7 pads though often I found special offers and got them cheaper. I would put them on the bed under her pad so that she could move around and if the pad got over-wet the bed pad would absorb it, so I just had to dispose of them and not have to change the bed. It helped Mom too as she got concerned if she woke up and knew the bed was wet, she would try and help herself (and fall) before I got over there. The pads were much bigger than the ones which we were given by social services, they just supplied two fabric pads which were about 18" by 18" and moved around the bed and got screwed up. The disposable ones are about the size of a child's single bed and had a thin plastic backing which was adequate for our needs and didn't cause Mom to get hot or anything. Luckily we only needed to change them two to three times a week so a pack would last a couple of weeks, normally.

Jane x