As you start aging, your body comes up with different issues one after another. Amongst all health issues, the one that bothers most people is kidney infection. Your kidneys do not play one but many functions. They are one of the most vital organs of your body. The problem starts occurring when you get an infection in your kidneys.
Most of you reach out to the doctor at a later stage of the disease. By this time, your kidney infection has already spread and become more severe than before. This happens because you fail to understand the presence of the disease inside your body. One of the best ways to check if you have a kidney infection is to look for its symptoms.
Since most of you fail to recognize a kidney infection, we have come up with a blog. Here, you will get detailed information on kidney infection, its causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, recovery, and many more.
About kidney infection
Medically known as pyelonephritis, a kidney infection occurs when a bacterium from your bladder intervenes in your kidney functioning. The moment the bacteria get into your kidney, it hampers its functioning. You can have a kidney infection when there is a bacterium in one or both of your kidneys. The primary function of your kidneys is to remove toxins and waste materials from the body.
Another way by which you can get a kidney infection is through a urinary infection. Your kidney determines the way you urinate throughout the day. You can have a kidney infection all of a sudden. Some of you may have a kidney infection and turn it into a chronic disease. If you do not treat your kidney infection at the right time, be ready to face a deadly consequence.
What are the symptoms of kidney infection?
The symptoms of a kidney infection can help you understand the presence of the infection or bacteria in your body. You get to see the symptoms in your body right after a few days of bacterial intervention in your body. Some of the common symptoms of a kidney infection include the following:
- Experiencing pain in your groin, abdomen, side of the pelvic region and back
- Having a tendency to vomit and nausea
- Experiencing a burning sensation while urinating
- Suffering from a feeling of urinating or an increased frequency of urinating
- Presence of pus or blood in your urine
- Rise in body temperature
- Chills and body aches
- Change in the color and texture of urine
- Foul-smelling and cloudy urine
You will be surprised to know that even children within the age group of 2 years may experience kidney infection. If your child is suffering from a high fever and there is no drop in the body temperature, you can consider it as a sign of a kidney infection. On the other hand, people above the age of 60 years experience mental imbalance, fumbling, confusion, and slurry speech due to kidney infection.
What causes kidney infection?
To understand the causes of a kidney infection, it is important to have a basic idea about your kidneys. You have two kidneys the size of your fist located on either side of the upper abdomen. The function of your kidney is to remove the waste products from your blood and body through urine.
In general, most kidney infections occur due to a bacteria or virus known as Escherichia coli. Every human being has these bacteria in their intestines. However, these bacteria can enter your urinary tract at any time. When they are in your kidneys and bladder, you can have an infection in your kidneys.
What are some of the risk factors for kidney infection?
Although anybody can get a kidney infection, some factors make you more prone to it. These risk factors include the following:
- If you have a urinary tract infection, it may eventually lead to a kidney infection.
- Women are at a riskier stage of developing a kidney infection than men. This is because women have a shorter urethra than men. So, it becomes easier for the bacteria to travel to the bladder and kidneys.
- Pregnancy imbibes a shift in the urinary tract. This again, makes it easier and smoother for the bacteria to travel to the kidneys.
- If you have a weak immune system or have been infected with diabetes, AIDS, or HIV in the past, you can get the infection quickly.
- If you have a damaged spinal cord or if there is nerve damage in your bladder, it can lead to an infection in your urinary tract. Eventually, this turns into a kidney infection.
How to diagnose and treat a kidney infection?
The earlier you diagnose the kidney infection, the quicker you get healed. First, the doctor will ask you about your medical history and try to know if your kidney infection is a genetic issue. In the case of males, the doctor might suggest to perform a rectal examination. Urine culture and urinalysis are the two vital tests that determine how much bacteria has grown inside your kidneys and bladder.
If necessary, the doctor may also ask you to undergo a CT scan an ultrasound, or MRI to detect the position and condition of your kidneys. The kind of treatment you need to heal your kidney infection depends on the condition of your kidneys. If you have a mild infection, the doctor will prescribe a few oral antibiotics. He will ask you to continue the oral antibiotics for at least two weeks to get some results.
Recovery from a kidney infection
After taking the antibiotics, you should start feeling better. To ensure that the infection doesn’t return, finish the course of the medication. However, if you do not see any improvement within two weeks, make sure to consult with your doctor soon.
Conclusion
Therefore, a kidney infection can disrupt your normal course of life. However, it is crucial to be attentive to the symptoms of a kidney infection and reach out to a doctor at the earliest. To learn more about kidney infection, you can read more here.