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Kidney infection (pyelonephritis)

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment
• Prevention

Alternative Names:

Urinary tract infection - complicated; Infection - kidney; Complicated urinary tract infection; Pyelonephritis

Symptoms:

• Flank pain or back pain
• Severe abdominal pain (occurs occasionally)
• Fever
  • Higher than 102 degrees Fahrenheit
  • Persists for more than 2 days
• Chills with shaking
• Warm skin
• Flushed or reddened skin
• Moist skin ( diaphoresis )
• Vomiting, nausea
• Fatigue
• General ill feeling
• Painful urination
• Increased urinary frequency or urgency
• Need to urinate at night (nocturia)
• Cloudy or abnormal urine color
• Blood in the urine
• Foul or strong urine odor
• Mental changes or confusion *

* Sometimes in the elderly, mental changes or confusion are the only signs of a urinary tract infection.

Signs and tests:

An examination may show tenderness on palpation (pressing) over the kidney.

• A urinalysis commonly reveals white blood cells ( WBCs ) or red blood cells (RBCs) in the urine.
• A urine culture from a clean catch or urine culture ( catheterized specimen ) may reveal bacteria in the urine.
• A blood culture may show an infection.
• An intravenous pyelogram ( IVP ) or CT scan of the abdomen may show enlarged kidneys with poor flow of dye through the kidneys. IVP and CT scan of the abdomen can also indicate underlying disorders.

Underlying abnormalities of the kidney that put a patient at high risk for acute pyelonephritis may be discovered by additional tests and procedures, including the following:

• Voiding cystourethrogram
• Renal ultrasound
• Renal scan
• Renal biopsy

• Review Date: 7/25/2006
• Reviewed By: David M. Charytan, M.D., M.Sc., Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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