UTI/Kidney

Hello Everyone,

I am a nursing student and have been every where to find an answer to this question for my clinical rotation. What neurological component connection is there between the Kidney and UTI?

I know that the nerves in the lumbar spine control the urinary functions and if edema happens due to a back up of urine or if the UTI is not treated it can cause encephalopathy. Or if pressure is on the spine from the edema it can cause incontinence. Am I on the right track or am I missing something here.

I am in Foundations class first semester LPN student. Trying hard to make it through the first round.

Thank you for your help,

Linda
I know that a lot of elderly pts with UTIs will often present with neurological s/s like altered mental status and such.Maybe this is where this question is going? Curious to see what others think

I understand that elderly patients will get vascular dementia hypertension, high urea levels, but I am not sure about the CVA. Did the CVA come first or did it come from the lack of kidney function? I also know that when the kidney quits working properly or is comprised it can also lead to bacteremia (sepsis). Is this also due to the urea in the blood? Thanks for your help,Lindaheartbeat

Try looking up autonomic dysreflexia.

Thanks for the direction, I am looking it up to see how that works and what are the causes.

You are on the right track. CVA? Was this in response to the comment about AMS? They are not the same thing. Small insults, like a UTI, can derail homeostasis in the frail and elderly. UTI is a common and frequent cause of AMS particularly in little old ladies. This is easily reversed with treatment for the UTI. AMS from UTI is caused by metabolic imbalance, CVA by lack of oxygen to the brain. Hope this helps and does not confuse you more... Good luck.