Various forms of disease are associated with MS. Kidney disease happens to be one of them.
In patients with MS, kidney disease, and more specifically, kidney infection, tends to be secondary to MS. Kidney disease in these patients may result when they develop urinary tract infections that spread to the kidney. These urinary tract infections tend to be the result of problems like urine retention and dysfunction of the sphincter, both of which are common among MS patients.
Addressing the Complications of MS- Kidney Disease and Urinary Tract Infections
Urine retention and sphincter dysfunction, both the result of nervous system lesions associated with MS, cause patients much distress and discomfort. They make incontinence a regular feature in patients’ lives, and it is often the case that the patients have to resort to the use of catheters to empty their bladders. On their own, these conditions have the capacity to result in the development and spread of infection. With the use of catheters, which are invasive, the potential for developing infections in the urinary tract is even higher. Urinary tract infection can, in turn, spread to organs such as the kidneys. This is particularly dangerous because kidney disease can lead to kidney failure. In a few MS patients, this actually happens, and could ultimately result in their death. It is fortunate that only a few MS patients suffer this fate. However, the fact that urinary tract infections are so common in MS patients makes it important for them to be vigilant about treating these infections and addressing the urinary tract issues that lead to the infections in the first place.
It is important to realize that, for patients suffering from MS, kidney disease can actually worsen their condition, even if it doesn’t lead to kidney failure and death. When viral urinary tract infections spread to the kidney, they cause viral diseases in the kidney. They are recognized by the immune system as viral infections, and this triggers off a chain of reactions that result in a flare up. To put it simply, viral infections of the kidney ultimately provoke MS exacerbations in patients. Because MS is an autoimmune condition, this is not surprising. Anything that sensitizes the immune system and primes it to attack has the potential to trigger an MS exacerbation.
It is important for MS patients to seek treatment for any urinary tract and kidney infections as soon as they become aware of them. This helps, not just to prevent kidney failure and MS exacerbations, but also to preserve the patient’s quality of life. MS patients already have to deal with MS-related pain and disability. It would be a pity to let them develop further disabilities if those could be avoided.
