Infections are a clear sign that bacteria or virus has made their way into your body. Kidney infections are quite serious and require prompt treatment. Otherwise, it can lead to permanent damage. 

Kidney infection is also known as pyelonephritis, and it is an advanced stage of urinary tract infection. The bladder is affected, and then it tends to travel to one or both of your kidneys. 

You might need to intake antibiotics to prevent the infection from spreading into the bloodstream. Eventually, this can become life straightening.

Now, UTI is not the only way through which your kidney infections occur. And, there could be other possible reasons as well. You can get a kidney infection during surgery, and in this case, the lower urinary tract remains affected.

In general, kidney infections are quite painful to bear, and it has a high possibility of leading to sepsis. And, this has the possibility of damaging the body’s vital organs.

So, how can you detect a kidney infection?

The clear signs and symptoms of kidney infections

It would help if you read the signs to understand the underlying problem:

1. Fever
2. Pain in the lower region of the back
3. Nausea and vomiting
4. Pelvic pain
5. Smelly and cloudy urine 
6. Blood traces in the urine
7. Frequent and painful urination 

However, people above 65 years old might not experience all the symptoms, and rather they undergo – hallucinations, confusion and difficulty in speaking.

Causes of kidney infection

Bacteria have a 90% chance of leading to kidney infection through the intestine, skin surface, bladder or ureters. The kidney’s function is to eliminate all the potential bacteria from the body and all the toxic fluids. But, during this process, abnormalities can occur, and if the bacterial rate is quite high, it leads to infections.

Other than that, the kidney fails to flush out harmful bacteria due to kidney stones, enlarged prostate and urine reflux. If the infection is spreading from your bloodstream, you might have undergone surgery recently. In this case, the kidneys become a secondarily infected organ, and the primary infection lies somewhere else.

Factors responsible for increasing the kidney infection

Being pregnant 

In pregnancy, the uterus gets enlarged, which squeezes the uterus, reducing the flow of urine. Thus, it makes it easy for the bacteria to infect the kidney.

Urine flow

It is essential to clear the toxicity as it accumulates in your bladder from time to time. Now, if there is any barrier and the urine cannot flow at a regular rate, it can lead to infections. Usually, the blockage occurs due to enlarged prostate or kidney stones.

High medications

A high dosage of medications tends to weaken the immune system. Diseases such as diabetes and cancer require high doses of antibiotics, and thus, it increases the chances of infections.

Filtration rate 

As the filtration rate reduces, it increases the chances of bacterial multiplication within the body. Thus, infections become prominent. Further, kidney infections can lead to other problems, such as high blood pressure, kidney failure, blood infection etc.

Diagnosis of kidney infection

A physical examination is done as you report the symptoms and a blood test to understand the category of bacteria in the urinary tract. Image tests, such as ultrasound, follow this, and CT scan to detect the abnormalities in the kidney or blood. The patient is put under medications and antibiotics. Usually, a complex infection takes a month to resolve.

Conclusion

To prevent infections, you must change your lifestyle. Start by drinking water throughout the day. Take control measures to avoid the risk of UTI. Do not use any chemical products to clean the genitals and seek help advice from the doctors without any delay. At ILS Hospitals, you get to meet the best specialist for treatment.