Study reveals connection between diabetes, urinary tract infections

Diabetes is associated with lowered immunity and recurring infections. The immune system of people with diabetes has lower levels of the antimicrobial peptide psoriasin, which compromises the urinary bladder's cell barrier, increasing the risk of urinary tract infection, according to researchers at Karolinska Institute in Sweden.

The findings of the study were published in Nature Communications. Diabetes results from lack of insulin and/or decreased insulin action. Insulin is a hormone that regulates glucose (sugar) and thus energy to the cells. In type 1 diabetes, the body stops producing insulin, while in type 2 diabetes, the cells have become less sensitive to insulin, which contributes to high blood glucose levels.

Diabetes is a common disease that affects health in many ways.