If treated promptly, a kidney infection doesn't cause serious harm, but will make you feel very unwell.
If treated with antibiotics straight away a kidney infection does not cause serious harm, although you'll feel very unwell.
On the other hand, if you have symptoms of a bladder or kidney infection, bacteria will be present and growing in your urine. Sometimes, your health care provider may check your urine for bacteria, even when you do not have any symptoms. If enough bacteria are found in your urine, you have asymptomatic bacteriuria.
To check for a kidney infection, you may be asked to provide a urine sample to test for bacteria, blood or pus in your urine. Your health care provider might also take a blood sample for a culture. A culture is a lab test that checks for bacteria or other organisms in your blood.
Kidney pain is felt higher and deeper in your body than back pain. You may feel it in the upper half of your back, not the lower part. Unlike back discomfort, it's felt on one or both sides, usually under your rib cage. It's often constant.
Usually, you'll start to feel better quite soon after treatment starts and should feel completely better after about 2 weeks. If your symptoms show no sign of improvement 24 hours after treatment starts, contact your GP for advice.
If you have blood in your urine, you should always see your GP so the cause can be investigated. Kidney infections require prompt treatment with antibiotics to help relieve symptoms and prevent complications developing. Your GP can carry out some simple tests to help diagnose a kidney infection.
Most people with a kidney infection can be treated at home with a course of antibiotics, and paracetamol if needed. See a GP if you feel feverish and have pain in your tummy, lower back or genitals that will not go away.
The pain can be sharp or a dull ache, and it may come and go. It's usually worse on one side, but it can occur on both flanks. Problems in the kidney (such as an infection or a kidney stone) are common causes of flank pain. Back injuries also cause pain that starts in the spine and travels to the flanks.
“Both bladder and kidney infections share some symptoms such as painful urination, frequency, and urgency, but usually only kidney infections present with back pain, nausea or vomiting, fever, and chills,” Dr. Movassaghi says.
Kidney infections can cause severe symptoms and lead to kidney damage, and so a person will need antibiotics to treat the infection. However, a person can use home remedies to support their recovery further and reduce the likelihood that the kidney infection will come back.
Some people develop a chronic infection of the kidney that is very stubborn and hard to get rid of. A continuing problem with a kidney infection is called chronic pyelonephritis. Having a severe kidney infection or repeated kidney infections can damage the kidneys. They can lead to chronic kidney disease.
A kidney infection is, in essence, a UTI that has spread into the kidneys. While this type of infection is rare, it's also very dangerous and if you're experiencing any of the following signs of a kidney infection, you should see a doctor immediately: Upper back or side pain. Fever, shaking or chills.
Kidney stones that are moving into or from the kidneys can cause an infection somewhere in the urinary tract. This infection will affect the urine, and can cause urine that smells like fish. It may also cause blood in the urine or cloudy urine.
Blood Tests. Because your kidneys remove waste, toxins, and extra fluid from the blood, a doctor will also use a blood test to check your kidney function. The blood tests will show how well your kidneys are doing their job and how quickly the waste is being removed.
Cloudy or murky urine
Urinary tract infections and kidney stones can cause urine to look cloudy or murky.
Do you get hospitalized for a kidney infection? The majority of kidney infections can be treated with a course of antibiotics at home. However, your doctor may admit you to the hospital for more serious kidney infections, so you can receive intravenous (IV) antibiotics.
If treated promptly, a kidney infection shouldn't cause serious harm. If you experience a fever over 101°F, pain, are unable to drink or take oral medication along with some of the other symptoms, get to the nearest urgent care or ER.
If you have new, severe urinary symptoms, leave work and see your doctor. These symptoms can worsen quickly, causing nausea, headaches, and even kidney infections. Early antibiotic treatment is key.
The symptoms of a kidney infection usually develop quite quickly over a few hours or days. Common symptoms include: pain and discomfort in your side, lower back or around your genitals. a high temperature.
Because of how serious kidney infections are, it's important that you don't rely on home remedies. Instead, take the prescription antibiotics a doctor gives you and use home remedies to help ease symptoms or pain. You can also use home remedies to avoid UTIs and improve kidney function.
Make an appointment with your health care provider if you have symptoms of a kidney infection. Also see your provider if you're being treated for a UTI but your symptoms aren't getting better. A severe kidney infection can lead to dangerous complications.
Do not hold your urine for a long time. Urinate before you go to sleep. If you have symptoms of a bladder infection, such as burning when you urinate or having to urinate often, call your doctor or nurse advice line so you can treat the problem before it gets worse.
If you are very sick from your kidney infection, you may go to a hospital for bed rest. A health care professional may give you fluids through an IV. If something such as a kidney stone or an enlarged prostate is blocking your urinary tract, a doctor can sometimes treat the problem with surgery or another procedure.