“Bladder Infections Increase Risk of Rare Neurological Disorder MSA, Reveals New Research by KU Leuven and Van Andel Research Institute: Protein Accumulation, Clumping, and Brain Damage Explained, Patients Three Times More Likely to Develop MSA – Not So Banal”

2023-04-28 20:06:30

After a bladder infection, there is an increased risk of developing multiple system atrophy (MSA), a rare, aggressive neurological disorder. This was revealed on Friday by new research by KU Leuven and the Van Andel Research Institute.

Multiple system atrophy is a neurological disorder that affects about 1 in 25,000 people. In the disease, nerve cells and certain brain regions of patients gradually become affected and eventually die. This causes damage to the nervous system: patients experience problems with breathing, digestion, bladder control or blood pressure regulation, among other things.

Protein accumulation

Previous studies have already shown that the accumulation of a certain protein, the α-synuclein, in the brain causes the breakdown of brain cells. The protein α-synuclein is present in everyone’s brain and contributes to good communication between brain cells. When our body becomes infected by a bacteria or virus, for example, the immune system will also produce α-synuclein to ward off the infection. Excessive production of α-synuclein can cause clumping, which damages cells and eventually causes them to die.

The cause of this clumping was unknown until now. Research by KU Leuven and the Van Andel Research Institute has now shown that bladder infections can be a trigger for the accumulation of α-synuclein and thus contribute to the development of MSA.

Three times more likely

The researchers analyzed the concentration of α-synuclein in human urine bladder samples and in mice with cystitis. Due to the bacterial infection of the urinary bladder, the immune system produces the protein. At a high concentration, protein clots can form, which migrate to the brain via the nerve cells of the bladder. If the clots reach the brain, they can affect brain cells, causing the nervous system to malfunction, eventually leading to MSA. Bladder infections increased the risk of developing MSA by up to three times, the study found.

Not so banal

“We chose bladder infections in this study, because many patients with MSA indicate that they regularly suffer from this, even in the years before their diagnosis,” says Professor Wouter Peelaerts (KU Leuven). “However, the link between the two has never been explored. This research shows that a bladder infection, which may seem trivial at first, can have far-reaching consequences.”

The research focuses specifically on bladder infections, but it cannot be ruled out that other inflammations also have the same effect, the professor adds. “After all, the production of α-synuclein is present in every inflammatory response.”