Kidney Infection (cont.)
Siamak T. Nabili, MD, MPH
Dr. Nabili received his undergraduate degree from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), majoring in chemistry and biochemistry. He then completed his graduate degree at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His graduate training included a specialized fellowship in public health where his research focused on environmental health and health-care delivery and management.
William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR
Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.
In this Article
- Kidney infection facts
- What is the function of the kidneys?
- Where are the kidneys located?
- What is a kidney infection?
- What are the causes of kidney infection?
- What are risk factors for kidney and urinary tract infection?
- Is screening recommended for UTI or kidney infection?
- What are the signs and symptoms of kidney infection?
- How is kidney infection diagnosed?
- What are different types of kidney infection?
- What are the common bacteria that cause kidney infections?
- What is the treatment for kidney infection?
- Are there foods I should avoid if I have a kidney infection?
- Can kidney infection be prevented?
- Find a local Nephrologist in your town
Is screening recommended for UTI or kidney infection?
In general, screening is not recommended for urinary tract infection and kidney infection in men and nonpregnant women.
While pregnant, screening may be recommended for women because bacteria in the urine without symptoms of infection are associated with a higher rate of progression to an overt urinary tract infection and pyelonephritis. These infections can potentially compromise the fetal growth and health.
Screening for bacteria in the urine without any symptoms is also recommended for any individual prior to undergoing instrumentation of the urinary tract or in men undergoing prostate procedures. Presence of bacteria in the urine with or without an infection can possibly lead to an increased chance for developing urinary tract infection. Treating these bacteria can substantially reduce infectious complications of such procedures.
What are the signs and symptoms of kidney infection?
Some of the common symptoms of kidney infection include:
- fever,
- nausea,
- vomiting,
- abdominal pain,
- shivering,
- shaking -- chills,
- painful urination (dysuria),
- frequent urination (urinary frequency),
- urge to urinate (urinary urgency),
- flank and low and mid back pain (dull kidney pain), and
- generalized malaise.
Signs of kidney infection on exam may include:
- fever,
- tenderness on the flanks (costo-vertebral angle tenderness, referring to tenderness upon tapping gently on the mid back on the sides), and
- clinical evidence of infection in the urinalysis (analysis of urine).
In elderly patients and those with weak immune systems, kidney infection may be more severe with confusion, lethargy, rapid heart rate, low blood pressure, and dehydration.
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