Can a UTI cause "seizure symptoms" in a elderly woman with dementia?

Should always consult with a physician, a specialist and do your own research first. Not all physicians are as exposed and as well informed as others. UTI's can most definitely cause seizure activity and not all seizures are visibly severe jerking presentations. EEG is the best way to detect many types of seizure activity. Seizure activity can also culminate a post presentation of severe confusion, aphasia ( a deficiency in speech pattern and proper word use). My mother has had so many partial seizures that I lost count of them and in her case they are tonic in nature and will graduate into status epileptis and grandma variety. She also has liver damage from another medication and cannot take antibiotics, as they increase her liver enzymes and proteins to dangerous levels.

If her urinary leukocyte level raises just a little, it will trigger small seizure activity on the left side of her brain, site of two prior strokes. She has a lot of confusion and aphasia, which we thought was mostly due to a side effect of the seizure medication. Neurologist decided it is not the medication but is due to sundowning and Dementia but family physician agreed with me, it is due to the medication. I have been treating her with organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar ACV), applied directly to the vaginal area and a separate application to the rectum. She is back to her base line, normal, and overtime she gets slightly confused, we reapply the ACV, within 5 minutes she is back to normal mental status (no signs of dementia). The unfiltered APC is full of probiotics so, this helps to replace the good bacteria.

The neurologist and even her Urologist don't think much about the ACV and dismiss it but her family physician and every aide that I have had in the house have witnessed how quickly the mental function and normal status are restore after each application. From a medical stand point, it makes perfect sense: Without getting to deep in the medical terminology. An slight increase in the Leukocyte level will activate T cell protocol that initiates neuro responses in the brain receptors, which send signals to Granulocytes, with signals going back and forth to and from the brain directing them to the site of intrusion. In other words, the brain is triggered into a SOS electrical firing alert status. As and aside, some stroke victims may also have a condition of Neuroimmune Modulation, which can also manifest itself into a condition of seizures from infection.

Seizures do not always effect the body temperature, do not rely on that or extreme jerking as a sign of seizures, Some are as simple as an eye twitch or a change in speech pattern and should receive the same amount of consideration and attention as grandma seizures.

My mom is 84 and has Alzheimer's. She has had 5 UTI's in the last year and a half. Two of those have resulted in her having a seizure. She never has a fever, but her body temp drops dramatically and she starts having body jerks. Always insist on a urine culture and a sensitivity test, so that the right antibiotic can be given. Several times we have found that the original antibiotic that was prescribed was not killing the bacteria and had to be changed. We wouldn't have known this unless an antibiotic sensitivity test was preformed.

Thanks, valentinepuppy! This site has educated me greatly, in addition to allowing my vent.. just as crucial to my caregiving experience as my support group for caregivers of loved ones w/ Alzheimer's / dementia. I am so grateful for this site and all of its contributors.

I am forever amazed at the connections made by hearing (reading) of other categivers experiences. SuzyandBetsy, i get it that the informed connections don't necessarily change things, but it is like a moment of brain respite. Best to you.

Wow, I never considered the correlation until I saw this post... my 89-y/o mom has had 3 seizure-like episodes, putting her in the hospital. Each time, she did have a UTI. She is also very bad at hydrating, so I can see the UTI causing her to dehydrate and possibly affect the rest of her nervous system, resulting in seizures. To this day, the hospitals can't definitively tell us whether or not it was a seizure each time, although they did put her on kepra (anti-seizure meds) each time. Very interesting... thank you.

My mom does not want to get out of bed in the am ,so she complained of being dizzy ..how can I tell for sure if she really is .. Dr visits are fine sugar levels are fine ,blood pressure not bad

My Mom has had 3 UTIs in the last 6 months, she is 85 and all 3 times, she fainted, once she went out completely. The ER doctors said that she was dehydrated and that UTIs cause this in the elderly, especially when they vomit and have diarrhea with the UTI, like my Mom did.

My neighbor is in the hospital with sepsis and when I asked her how she got it she said from a UTI. I was wondering about that so thanks to those who clarified.

Also sorry for your loss vweberg - you add to the importance of awareness and knowledge necessary to our personal care or added care for our loved ones.

To follow on Pam's post a seizure can be the first symptom of a stroke and by the way is a contraindication for the use of TPN

So sorry you lost your mom, vweberg. Sounds like a stroke on top of the UTI and the infection was antibiotic resistant. It can happen despite the best of care. God bless.

My mother had a UTI which was left untreated (in a nursing home). She became very agitated & had a seizure. She died 2 weeks later from severe sepsis.

UTI if not caught can result to sepsis But I have not seen it causing seizures. I have experienced with my mom that she gets fever and/or start to throw up when she is at the early stage of UTI which triggers us to take her to ER.

And if UTI is determined to be true, beware of on-going antibiotic use that can cause more problems. My Mom came to be with me with chronic UTIs and so much confusion over time that her dementia was accelerated. I agree that now when any changes are occurring, that is the first thing we check. It took about 2 years of monitoring with urine cultures and addressing UTIs with caution before we could say they seemed "under control". No experience with seizures, but not surprised if there is a correlation. Best to you.

my mother has dementia and gets uti,s regularly, at times she has vacant episodes, which is known as transient ichmetic absences, in short a tia which is a mini stroke. last week she had 2 nothing to do with a uti, the food had to be taken out of her mouth whilst she was eating, she was in a trance for a few minutes sitting with her mouth open, when she was ok I asked her to raise her arms for signs of weakness. take youre mum to hospital and explain her behaviour, I became alarmed seeing my mother in a trance, mini- strokes were diagnosed. hopefully this helps but medical staff need to see youre mum.

This happened to my 89-y/o mom (who has dementia) twice in 6 months. She had seizure / stroke-like symptoms both times. She was diagnosed with UTI each time, but the dr's still can't definitively say what caused her to pass out both times. Drop in blood pressure, UTI affecting her, irregular heartbeat... could be any or all of the above, they said. In any case, if you suspect a UTI, definitely get her checked out and on meds before it gets worse.

A UTI can cause many symptoms, such as dizziness, confusion, irritability, discomfort, etc. I agree with most, if she's had this is in the past monitor but still go in to be treated. The one thing we also tell our clients is to keep a log of when this is happening and what the symptoms were. It will be beneficial when talking to the doctors.

My father had dementia and a seizure disorder which was controlled by medication. When he developed a high fever he had trouble walking and was speaking gibberish but never had a seizure. Everyone thought he had a UTI but it turned out to be cellulitis. It took 3 days of hospitalization with massive IV antibiotics to get rid of it and unfortunately the whole experience increased his dementia quite a bit.

if a UTI is not responding to treatment request that a specimum be cutured ao the correct antibiotic can be given.

I'd get her to ER or at least to an urgent care clinic, depending on symptoms. UTIs can do a lot of things including spiking a fever. This doesn't sound like a situation that should wait. Please check back and let us know what happens.
Carol

Hi - you ask if a UTI can cause seizure symptoms, but do you mean that you actually see these symptoms (i.e. jerking of limbs, falling to the ground) or do you see the after-effects of sleepiness, confusion etc.? If you see these after effects, then these are also normal effects of a UTI and in elderly people UTIs are very common, and can cause really raised temperatures and off behaviour. So, check for a UTI and keep at it like a dog with a bone should one particular antibiotic not do the trick. My sister-in-law's mum almost 90 had a UTI for four whole months two years ago and had almost been written off but my sister-in-law got one second opinion after another and eventually was given a fresh antibiotic for the infection and it cleared such that her mum got back on her feet and all the confusion went. The point is that UTIs can give off all the wrong messages - you might think someone is really going downhill and give up when in fact if you get the right antibiotic the bacteria can be counteracted and a return to whatever was normal before. My mum has dementia and is always getting infections because her behaviour's changed so that her fingers are always going in her mouth and then she might resist having her disposable knickers removed and get embroiled in all of that process. A UTI is always my suspicion every time the behaviour I normally associate with the dementia gets worse.

Very high temeratures can cause seizures. There always has to be a first seizure to establish a history of the condition. Seizures in the elderly are often mistaken for stroke and in any case should be checked out immediately so proper treatment can be started. A seizure is often followed by hours of unresponsiveness. There may also be loss of bladder and bowel control in the normally continent.
I see your mother has dementia so there could be many other causes for a seizure.
Depending on your mother's general health try and make sensible decisions regarding investigations. Things like an MRI may be too distressing for her and anything found may not be treatable in her condition. She can of course be sedated for investigations. She can be treated based on symptoms only. Just be very vigilent and request a second opinion if you are doubful and be sure you really understand what you are being told. Write down your qustions and keep asking if necessary. seizure is not the worst thing in the world for someone in Mom's condition.

My mom was taken to the ER a year and a half ago, couldn't walk and speech was garbled, EMT's, ER staff and I all thought it was a stroke. It was a UTI. Required a three day hospitalization and intravenous antibiotics the infection was so severe. I see you posted this a few days ago. Sometimes questions get lost on this site.

If Mom has not been checked out by her doc, you should get her in today if she is still experiencing these symptoms. What is going on with her now?

If she has a history of seizures, YES. If there is no history of seizures, I would be heading to the ER to check for stroke.