A kidney infection can start off similar to a UTI, but then it gets more severe. Kidney infection symptoms include fever, pain in your back or side, and weakness. Other infections, like sexually transmitted infections, can feel similar to a UTI — but the treatments are different.
A kidney infection can share many symptoms with other types of UTIs. Symptoms common to any type of UTI can include: a painful or burning sensation when urinating. feeling like you need to urinate often.
Most of the time, kidney pain symptoms occur under your ribs, to the right or left of your spine. Kidney pain may also radiate to other areas, such as your abdomen or groin. Sometimes, hip pain is confused with kidney pain, but hip pain is lower down in your back than kidney pain.
In older people, a kidney infection may cause confusion.
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.
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.
Symptoms of kidney infection
Symptoms of a kidney infection often come on within a few hours. You can feel feverish, shivery, sick and have a pain in your back or side. In addition to feeling unwell like this, you may also have symptoms of a urinary tract infection (UTI) such as cystitis.
Your doctor can determine if you have a UTI or a kidney infection by reviewing your symptoms, analyzing a urine sample, and ordering certain blood tests. They may also order imaging studies or other tests to monitor your kidney function. UTIs and kidney infections are treated with antibiotics.
Symptoms usually include fever, flank pain, nausea, vomiting, burning on urination, increased frequency, and urgency. The 2 most common symptoms are usually fever and flank pain. Acute pyelonephritis can be divided into uncomplicated and complicated.
A kidney infection can sometimes lead to a dangerous condition called sepsis link, which can be life threatening. Symptoms of sepsis include fever, chills, rapid breathing and heart rate, rash, and confusion. A kidney infection that becomes chronic, or long lasting, can cause permanent damage to your kidneys.
In general, back pain will be related to your muscles, occurs lower in your back, and causes a consistent ache. If it's kidney pain, it'll likely be higher, near your ribs. You may feel waves of severe pain and possibly have a fever. The pain may also be stronger on one side.
Pain associated with the kidneys on the other hand generally remains dull and stable and is usually not changed with movement. Kidney pain also does not typically get better on its own, unless that pain is from kidney stones.
What could be mistaken for a UTI? There are several conditions whose symptoms mimic UTIs. Sexually transmitted infections (gonorrhea, chlamydia, and mycoplasma) cause symptoms also common in UTIs, such as painful urination and discharge.
Kidney pain in the back may be a constant ache, or it may be sharp and sudden. Some people may describe it as a “stabbing” pain. The most common causes of kidney pain that radiates to the back are infections and kidney stones. A kidney infection may have started with a urinary tract infection (UTI).
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.
Acute pyelonephritis should be suspected in people with signs or symptoms of a urinary tract infection (for example, dysuria, frequency, urgency) accompanied by any new signs or symptoms of pyelonephritis (including fever, nausea, vomiting, or flank pain).
A burning feeling or pain when urinating. Having to urinate often. A strong, lasting urge to urinate. Back, side or groin pain.
Cystitis may be differentiated from pyelonephritis by the absence of systemic findings such as fever, chills, or sepsis. Findings such as flank pain, costovertebral angle tenderness, nausea, and vomiting indicate upper UTI or pyelonephritis.
Cloudy or murky urine
Urinary tract infections and kidney stones can cause urine to look cloudy or murky.
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.
Kidney infections can lead to serious complications if untreated so it is important to see a doctor and not wait to see if the infection goes away on its own.
Generally speaking, the symptoms of a kidney infection tend to come on over a period of several hours to a day. The symptoms may include: Pain. This is often a dull, aching type of pain that most commonly affects the back, side, or abdomen.
Kidney pain can have many causes. It may be a sign of an infection, injury or another health problem, such as kidney stones. Because of where your kidneys are in your body, kidney pain is also often confused with back pain.