Kidney infections are painful and unpleasant generally caused when bacteria travel up your bladder and into one or both of your kidneys. The disease is different and more serious than cystitis, which is a common infection of the bladder. Kidney infection, also known as pyelonephritis in the medical milieu is not a life-threatening medical condition but it can make you feel unwell. Left untreated for a prolonged period of time, a kidney infection can get worse and cause permanent kidney damage.
Unless diagnosed early and treated promptly, a kidney infection can go on to cause serious kidney damage so if you’ve been observing symptoms of the disease which we will discuss shortly, you should seek medical help as soon as possible. Most kidney infections can be treated with antibiotics but provided you get treatment quick, it might be too late to stop the infection from damaging the kidneys or spreading to the bloodstream. If you have a pre-existing medical condition such as diabetes or if you are pregnant, a kidney infection can prove to be fatal.
About kidney infections
The kidneys, as you probably know, are two bean-shaped organs that rest on either side of the body right under the ribcage. Their role is to filter out waste products from the blood and pass them out of the body in the form of urine. A kidney infection usually happens when bacteria get into the urethra from the anus travelling up through the bladder into one or both of the kidneys. In most cases of kidney infection, only one kidney is affected.
Kidney infections are not as common as urinary tract infections, which occur in over half of the population of the world. It is estimated that only 1 in every 830 people develop a kidney infection in any given year. Kidney infections can happen at just about any age. They tend to be more common in women than in men. This statistical data can be easily explained by the fact that a woman’s urethra is shorter than a man’s. Younger women are also more at risk because they tend to be sexually active. Having frequent sex increases the chances of getting a kidney infection.
Kidney infections symptoms
Kidney infections are not very common and they are not serious either unless diagnosed at an advanced stage when the infection has already caused permanent kidney damage. The key to the successful treatment of any disease is early diagnosis and an effective treatment program. If you have a kidney infection, the symptoms of the disease should be more than obvious. The common kidney infections symptoms include:
1. Pain and discomfort around your genitals
2. Discomfort around your lower back
3. High temperature sometimes accompanied by shivering
4. Chills
5. Feeling of weakness and an acute loss of appetite
6. Being and feeling sick
7. Diarrhea
If you have a kidney infection you can also experience symptoms such as a burning sensation when you pass out urine, the need to urinate more frequently, pain in your lower abdomen and the feeling of being unable to urinate fully. Your body passing out cloudy, bloody or foul smelling urine also often characterizes a kidney infection. In children, kidney infections symptoms include a serious lack of energy, irritability, poor feeding and a stunted growth rate. In addition to that, you may also notice signs of the disease such as jaundice, blood in your child’s urine and more frequent bedwetting.
If you notice any of the symptoms of kidney infection in your child or in yourself, you need to contact your GP right way. If treated promptly, the damage caused by kidney infections can be limited. Treatment of kidney infections includes a course of antibiotics and painkillers to relieve the symptoms of the illness.