Kidney Infection Symptoms
What is Kidney Infection?
The medical name for kidney infection in one or both kidneys is "pyelonephritis". Kidney infection can develop at any age. It occurs more commonly in women than the men.
Human body contains two kidneys one on each side of the abdomen. Every kidney makes the urine which is then drains down in a tube called ureter in to the bladder. Bladder contains the urine and passes out of the body at the time when you go to the toilet.
Kidney infection occurs when bacteria present in the bladder reach to the kidney. There are number of causes for happening the pyelonephritis.
Causes of Kidney Infection:
Most of infections of kidney are caused because of viruses which reach to the kidney and result of causing the infection in bladder known as cystitis. The peoples having cystitis need not compulsory develop the kidney infection, but if the bacteria travels to the uretre which then infects the kidney.
Kidney infection some of the times develop without bladder infection. They can have a variety of causes. The kidney problem such as kidney stone can stop the free flow of urine and due to that bacterium begins in tapped urine. The same case can occur in case when one of the ureters can block. Through the bloodstream also bacteria can reach to the kidney.
Kidney Infection Symptoms:
Kidney infections are harmful. If proper treatment is not available then causes loss of kidney, blood poisoning, or sometimes even death. Most of the people suffer from the kidney diseases but they recognize kidney infection symptoms are the symptoms of other diseases.
Following are general kidney infection symptoms:
- Burning at the time of urination: This is sign of urinary tract infection (UTI) and leads to the kidney infection. Do not confuse with burning of yeast infection. This burning is very painful and will some of the times bring tears in eyes.
- Pain occurs in lower back and right around the waist: It could experience as like a dull ache. These pains are very sharp. These pains are same as somebody punching you continuously. If the pains are concentrated on back corner could indicates the kidney problem.
- Fatigue: First sign is fatigue it person get frequent kidney infection which can hit immediately. Fever: In the early stage of the kidney infection, fever goes high. If proper treatment is not given then the fever continually rises.
If patient have all the above symptoms then immediately call the doctor. Doctors do not trick around with the possible infection of the kidney. Speak frankly about the kidney infection symptoms with the doctor.
Doctor will prescribe the sulfa drug if you are suffering from kidney infection and this drug is very effective. Many of the people cause the allergies to the sulfa drugs even if they are using for the long time. If any side effects or hives may develop then immediately call to the doctor. For the allergies to the drug named as sulfa drug, the doctor suggests the antibiotics. The new drugs are also available in the market which is helpful for preventing UTIs.
Kidney infection can prevent by drinking the cranberry juice regularly. Take the opinion of doctor for the drink. But generally doctor suggests lots and lots of water or any fluid daily. Minimum eight glass of water must drink per day.
If patient should end up with the kidney infection, then there is no matter how patient feel, patient is seriously ill. As many doctors and nurses have said that, "This isn't some thing to trick around with." Take the lot of time to rest and drink the plenty of liquids. Do not take expectations that you will recover within one day or within two days. Even for total recovery from the kidney infection, it takes nearly about two weeks or more than that. A severe infection may take the months.
Diagnosis of Kidney Infection:
Diagnosis is done on the basis of kidney infection symptoms. For the diagnosis, doctor will ask for the urine sample and tests that sample for finding the causes of the infection. Blood sample is also tested for checking the bacteria in the blood.
Urine and blood tests are the necessary tests for diagnosis. But in some conditions MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), X-ray or the CT-scan (computed tomography) also needed. When the kidney infection is caused because of kidney abnormality, kidney stones or when body does not give response to the antibiotics within the 48 hours, then scanning is very necessary. The other tests are needed on children or men with kidney infection but are less common.
Treatment for Kidney Infection:
For clearing the infection, kidney infection is treated with the antibiotics. Straight way antibiotics are prescribed by the doctor before getting result of urine test, if the kidney infection is suspected.
For reducing the pain and temperature pain killers are used such as ibuprofen and paracetamol. If you have the history of kidney disease, asthma or the liver disease then ibuprofen is not prescribed. When the pain is more sever, then strong pain killer is prescribed by the doctor.
Drink lots of water; generally drink two liters of water per day. But if you are suffering from any other medical condition such as heart failure then do not drink that much water.
In many cases antibiotics will helpful for clearing the infection. But in some of the cases patient need to admit in the hospital. This may be happen if following situation occurs:
- Your infection is severe,
- You are at risk from dehydration due to being sick or going to the toilet a lot, or
- Your infection does not respond quickly to antibiotics,
- You are frail or have other medical conditions, such as diabetes, that make it necessary.
In the hospital, antibiotics are directly given in to the veins so that work immediately. Also the fluid is put directly in to the vein which is helpful for getting the enough fluid.
If medical tests show that kidney infection is because of a blockage of the ureter, kidney stone, or some other abnormality related to kidney then surgery is very necessary for correcting the problem.
