“Yes, if it is not appropriately treated”.
Precisely in order to avoid such statements, we are going to speak on pyelonephritis, its causes, treatment, and most importantly, prevention.
Kidney infection or pyelonephritis is a specific type of infection in the urinary tract that normally begins in the urethra or the bladder and spreads to the kidneys. It may be acute or chronic.
Acute pyelonephritis is a sudden and sever kidney infection that causes inflammation in the kidneys. It can permanently damage the kidneys and may even be fatal if not properly treated. If it is recurrent or persistent, it is considered to be chronic pyelonephritis, although this is the less common form of the disease. The most common cause is a lower urinary tract infection that spreads to the kidneys.
Approximately 50% of women will have this type of infection in their lifetime, linked to sexual activity, pregnancy, or age.
Kidney infection is usually caused when bacteria enters the urinary tract through the urethra and begin to multiply. The main bacteria responsible for this disease is Escherichia coli.
Apart from the female anatomy and pregnancy, there are other factors that increase the risk of kidney infection, like obstruction of the urinary tract, prolonged use of a urinary catheter, a weak immune system – diabetes and HIV (AIDS), increase the risk of inflammation of the kidneys. Furthermore, certain drugs, such as those that are taken to prevent the rejection of a transplanted organ, have a similar effect.
Fever, nausea, abdominal pain in the back or the groin, the frequent need to urinate, burning sensation or pain when urinating, pus or blood in the urine (gloss hematuria: blood in the urine that can be seen by the naked eye) are some of the symptoms. Pyelonephritis that has progressed urosepsis may be accompanied by signs of septic shock syndrome, including rapid breathing, hypotension, shaking, and possible delirium.
As the majority of cases of pyelonephritis are due to bacterial infections, antibiotics are the base of the treatments available. Depending on the severity of the infection or the presence of other symptoms, patients may be prescribed oral antibiotics, or they may be hospitalized. Drinking a lot of liquids may help to eliminate bacteria through the urinary tract.
A kidney infection requires immediate medical attention. If it is left without treatment or it is not adequately treated, an infection in the kidneys may cause potentially serious complications, such as the permanent damage to the kidneys, causing chronic renal insufficiency, blood poisoning (septicemia) caused by bacteria being propagated throughout the body when blood from the kidneys spreads throughout the rest of the body, or complications in pregnancy.
In order to reduce the risk of a kidney infection, it is important to take some measures especially for women, who are the highest risk population. From the Urology Unit at HC Marbella, we recommend the following measures:
▪ Wash yourself carefully. Clean yourself from the front towards the back after urinating and after a bowel movement, this helps to avoid bacteria spreading into the urethra.
▪ Drink lots of liquids, most importantly, water. Drinking lots of liquids may help to eliminate the bacteria in one’s body through urination. Cranberry juice may help maintain the acidity of urine and reduce bacteria growth.
▪ Urinate frequently, do not stop yourself if there is the need.
▪ Urinate after sexual relations. Empty the bladder as soon as possible after sex helps to get rid of bacteria in the urethra, which reduces the risk of infection.
We remind you to have a test of the urinary tract done if you have had pyelonephritis or if you have more than 3 cases of cystitis a year in order to rule out the possibility of that there this a cause (stone, abnormality, etc.) that is responsible for the illness.
July 12, 2018
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