Kidney Infection in Adults
(Pyelonephritis)

• What is a kidney infection (pyelonephritis)?
• What causes kidney infection?
• What are the symptoms of kidney infection?
• How is kidney infection diagnosed?
• What is the treatment for kidney infection?
• For more information

Kidney Stones: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment Medical Author: Melissa Stoppler, M.D. Medical Editor: Barbara K. Hecht, Ph.D. One in every 20 people develop a kidney stone at some point in their life. Kidney stones, sometimes called renal calculi, form within the kidney itself or in other parts of the urinary tract. The condition of having kidney stones is termed nephrolithiasis or urolithiasis. (Nephrolithiasis literally means kidney stone-itis while urolithiasis means urinary stone-itis.) People who have kidney stones report the sudden onset of excruciating cramping pain in their side, groin, or abdomen. Changes in body position do not relieve this pain. It may be so severe that it is accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Kidney stones also characteristically cause blood in the urine. If infection is present in the urinary tract along with the stones, there may be fever and chills. Read more about kidney stone symptoms » Top Searched Kidney Infection Terms: symptoms, treatment, e coli, kidney stones, kidney failure, kidney cancer

What is a kidney infection (pyelonephritis)?

Pyelonephritis is a kidney infection, usually from bacteria that have spread from the bladder.

What causes a kidney infection?

Possible causes of infection include the following:

• infections in the bladder
  
  
• use of a catheter to drain urine from the bladder
  
  
• use of a cystoscope to examine the bladder and urethra
  
  
• surgery on the urinary tract
  
  
• conditions such as prostate enlargement and kidney stones that prevent the efficient flow of urine from the bladder

What are the symptoms of kidney infection?

Symptoms and signs include:

• back, side, and groin pain;

• urgent, frequent urination;

• pain or burning during urination;

• fever;

• nausea and vomiting; and

• pus and blood in the urine.

How is kidney infection diagnosed?

Diagnosis is made with a urine test to identify bacteria and formations of white blood cells, called casts, shaped like tubes in the kidneys. If an infection cannot be easily cured, x rays might be done to look for abnormalities in the kidneys, ureters, and bladder.

What is the treatment for kidney infection?

A kidney infection is treated with an appropriate antibiotic, and abnormalities may need to be surgically treated.

An untreated or recurrent kidney infection can lead to chronic pyelonephritis, scarring of the kidneys, and permanent kidney damage.

For More Information

American Foundation for Urologic Disease
1000 Corporate Boulevard Suite 410
Linthicum, MD 21090
Phone: 1–800–828–7866 or 410–689–3990
Email: admin@afud.org
Internet: www.afud.org

SOURCE: National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse

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