Kidney Infection: Causes, Symptoms
serious complications, including kidney damage and blood
poisoning (sepsis). It is usually treated with antibiotics . In many
cases, patients with kidney infection are hospitalized.
According to the National Health Service (NHS), UK,
approximately 28 to 35 English people in every 100,000
develop a kidney infection annually. Women are more commonly
affected by kidney infection, as are pregnant mothers, children
under two years of age, as well as individuals over 60.
There are two types of kidney infection:
- Uncomplicated kidney infection - the patient is healthy and serious complications are highly unlikely.
- Complicated kidney infection - the patient is morelikely to suffer complications, perhaps because of a pre-existing illness or condition.
Causes of kidney infections
- Weakened immune systems - some patients with
weakened immune systems may have a bacterial or fungal
infection on their skin which eventually gets into the
bloodstream and attacks the kidneys, causing an infection
there.
- The urethra - Alternatively, the pathogen (e.g bacteria)
may get into the urethra and reproduce in the bladder,
infecting it. The infection may then spread into the kidneys.
- Toilet hygiene - after going to the toilet and using
toilet paper to wipe one's anus, there may be contact with
the genitals, resulting in an infection getting through and
working its way up to the kidneys. The infection could also
enter via the anus - E. coli , a type of bacteria, can exist
in the colon and eventually cause a kidney infection.
- Female physiology - women are more vulnerable
bladder infections and ultimately kidney infections than men,
because their urethra is shorter, making it easier for
infections to reach parts of the urinary tract more quickly.
- Urinary catheter - a urinary catheter is a tube that is
inserted into the bladder through the urethra to drain our
urine. Having a urinary catheter raises the risk of developing
a urinary tract infection, including kidney infection.
- Kidney stones - individuals with kidney stones have a
higher risk of developing kidney infection. Kidney stones are
the result of a build-up of dissolved minerals on the inner
lining of the kidneys.
- Enlarged prostate - males with an enlarged prostate
have a higher risk of developing kidney infections.
- Sexually active females - if sexual intercourse
irritates the urethra there may be a higher risk of bacteria
getting inside the urinary tract, and eventually reaching the
kidneys.
Symptoms of kidney infection
A symptom is something the patient feels and reports, while a
sign is something other people, such as the doctor, detect. For
example, pain may be a symptom while a rash may be a sign.
When someone has a kidney infection it normally develops quite
fast - in a day or a few hours. The patient will typically have:
Diarrhea A high temperature of 38 ºc (100.4ºf) or above
Nausea Uncontrollable shivering Vomiting Back pain Pain in the groin
Pain in the side Often symptoms are worse when the patient urinates.
If there is also a corresponding bladder infection ( cystitis or
urethritis) the individual may experience:
Bloody urine
Cloudy urine
Dysuria - pain or difficult urination. Often described as a
burning or stinging sensation.
Foul smelling urine
Frequent urination
Inability to urinate fully
Pain in the lower abdomen.
What does the urinary tract consist of ?
The urinary tract consists of:
The kidneys - the majority of humans have two kidneys,
one on either side of the abdomen. Kidneys clear toxins
(poisons) from blood. Urea is the most important part of the
waste products that are taken out by the kidneys. The
kidneys also regulate acid concentrations, as well as
maintaining water balance in the body by excreting urine.
Water is mixed with urea to produce urine.
The ureters - urine passes through the connecting tubes
called ureters from the kidneys to the bladder. Each
kidney has one ureter connecting it to the bladder. Most of
us have two kidneys, and therefore two ureters. People
with just one kidney have just one ureter.
The bladder - a hollow organ (sac) in the lower
abdomen that stores urine. Known as the urinary bladder.
The urethra - a tube that carries urine from the bladder
to outside the body. In males the urethra goes down the
middle of the penis to an opening at the end. In males the
urethra also carries semen to outside the body. In females
the urethra goes from the bladder to above the vaginal
opening. The urethra in females is shorter than in males.
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