February 20, 2026

@michaelokun

The dreaded hospital UTIs in Parkinson’s. A silent trigger for delirium and longer hospital stays. UTI stands for urinary tract infection, which is an infection involving the bladder, kidneys or urinary system. Hikaru Kamo and colleagues at the Parkinson's Foundation along w/ the team at the Fixel describe in a new paper in Movement Disorders Clinical Practice how UTIs impact hospitalized Parkinson’s disease and what risk factors and outcomes health care providers should know about. Key Points: – Nearly 1 in 5 hospitalizations for Parkinson’s disease were linked to UTI, highlighting how common this complication is in hospitalized folks. – Urinary catheter use, dementia, older age and emergency hospital admission were major risk factors for developing UTI in Parkinson’s. – UTIs were associated w/ longer hospital stays and increased risk of delirium, suggesting infection may destabilize the brain and body in Parkinson’s. My take: This paper reinforces something we see clinically all the time. UTIs in PD are not just routine infections. They can trigger confusion, worsen symptoms and prolong recovery. Prevention, early detection and careful bladder care should be priorities every time a person w/ PD enters the hospital. I am an author of this paper so I have a bias on the data. Please read and decide for yourself. You can also download the Parkinson's Foundation free Hospital Safety Guide: https://www.parkinson.org/resources-support/hospital-safety-guide Here are 5 points that resonated w/ me: 1- UTIs are extremely common during PD hospitalizations and affect nearly 20 percent of admissions. 2- Urinary catheters are a major modifiable risk factor and avoiding unnecessary catheter use may reduce infections. 3- Infection may trigger delirium and sudden worsening of thinking and movement, which can be frightening for folks and families. 4- UTIs prolong hospitalization and recovery, increasing stress and risk for complications. 5- Prevention strategies including bladder care, early mobilization and careful monitoring should be standard practice for hospitalized PD. https://movementdisorders.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.100 #parkinson #michaelokun #fixelinstitute