Seek immediate medical attention if you have kidney infection symptoms combined with bloody urine or nausea and vomiting. Bacteria that enter your urinary tract through the tube that carries urine from your body urethra can multiply and travel to your kidneys. This is the most common cause of kidney infections. Bacteria from an infection elsewhere in your body also can spread through your bloodstream to your kidneys.
Although it's unusual to develop a kidney infection, it can happen — for instance, if you have an artificial joint or heart valve that becomes infected. Being female. The urethra is shorter in women than it is in men, which makes it easier for bacteria to travel from outside the body to the bladder. The nearness of the urethra to the vagina and anus also creates more opportunities for bacteria to enter the bladder.
Once in the bladder, an infection can spread to the kidneys. Pregnant women are at even higher risk of a kidney infection. Reduce your risk of kidney infection by taking steps to prevent urinary tract infections. Women, in particular, may reduce their risk of urinary tract infections if they:.
Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This may include:. Read more about treating a kidney infection. Most people with a kidney infection can be treated at home with a course of antibiotics, and possibly painkillers as well. All children with symptoms of a urinary tract infection UTI or kidney infection, including cystitis , should see their GP or out-of-hours emergency service.
If you're being treated at home, you'll usually be prescribed a course of antibiotic tablets or capsules that lasts between seven and 14 days. For most people — apart from pregnant women — antibiotics called ciprofloxacin or Co-amoxiclav are recommended. However, other antibiotics may also be used. Common side effects of ciprofloxacin include feeling sick and diarrhoea. Co-amoxiclav can make the contraceptive pill and contraceptive patches less effective, so you may need to use another form of contraception during the course of treatment.
Usually, you'll start to feel better quite soon after treatment starts and you should feel completely better after about two weeks. If your symptoms show no sign of improvement 24 hours after treatment starts, contact your GP for advice. Taking a painkiller such as paracetamol should help relieve symptoms of pain and a high temperature.
However, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories NSAIDs such as ibuprofen aren't usually recommended to relieve pain during a kidney infection. This is because they may increase the risk of further kidney problems.
If you have a kidney infection, try not to "hover" over the toilet seat when you go to the loo, because it can result in your bladder not being fully emptied. It's also important to drink plenty of fluids, because this will help prevent dehydration and will help to flush out the bacteria from your kidneys. Aim to drink enough so that you're frequently passing pale-coloured urine. Make sure that you get plenty of rest. A kidney infection can be physically draining, even if you're normally healthy and strong.
It may take up to two weeks before you're fit enough to return to work. Your GP may refer you to hospital if you have an underlying problem with your urinary tract, which makes you vulnerable to kidney infections.
It's standard practice to further investigate all men with a kidney infection simply because the condition is much rarer in men.
Only women who have had two or more kidney infections tend to be referred. Most children with a kidney infection will be treated in hospital. If you're admitted to hospital with a kidney infection, you'll probably be attached to a drip so you can be given fluids to help keep you hydrated.
Antibiotics can also be given through the drip. You'll have regular blood and urine tests to monitor your health and how effectively the antibiotics are fighting off the infection. Most people respond well to treatment. As long as there are no complications, they're usually well enough to leave hospital within three to seven days.
Treatment will usually switch to tablets or capsules after you stop receiving antibiotics through a drip. Most kidney infections are treated successfully without complications, although some people may develop further problems. A kidney abscess is a rare, but serious, complication of a kidney infection, where pus develops inside the tissue of the kidney.
You're thought to be most at risk of developing a kidney abscess if you have diabetes. The symptoms of a kidney abscess are similar to those of a kidney infection. The most common are:. Kidney abscesses are potentially serious because the bacteria inside the abscess can spread to other parts of your body, such as your bloodstream or lungs, and can be fatal.
Smaller abscesses can usually be treated with antibiotics through a drip. Surgery is usually required for larger abscesses. This involves draining the pus out of the abscess using a needle that's inserted into the kidney. Blood poisoning also called sepsis is another rare, but potentially fatal, complication of a kidney infection.
It happens when bacteria spreads from the kidneys into the bloodstream. Once bacteria are in your blood, the infection can spread to any part of your body, including all of the major organs.
Blood poisoning is a medical emergency that usually requires admission to a hospital intensive care unit ICU while antibiotics are used to fight the infection. If you're taking certain medications for diabetes, such as metformin or angiotensin-converting enzyme ACE inhibitors, they may be temporarily withdrawn until you recover.
This is because they can cause kidney damage during an episode of blood poisoning. Another rare, but potentially fatal, complication of a kidney infection is a condition called emphysematous pyelonephritis EPN.
EPN is a severe infection, where the tissues of the kidneys are rapidly destroyed and the bacteria causing the infection begin to release a toxic gas, which builds up inside the kidneys. The usual treatment is emergency surgery to remove some, or all, of the affected kidney. It's possible to live a full and active life with only one kidney. In very rare cases, a kidney infection can cause severe kidney damage that results in kidney failure. This is when the kidneys stop working properly.
Kidney failure is potentially fatal, but it can be treated with dialysis or a kidney transplant. A kidney infection can also cause other complications, including high blood pressure hypertension or premature labour or birth. The best way to prevent a kidney infection is to keep your bladder and urethra free from bacteria. Drinking plenty of liquids, particularly water, will help to wash bacteria from your bladder and urinary tract.
Drinking cranberry juice or taking cranberry extracts may also help prevent urinary tract infections UTIs. However, you should avoid cranberry juice or extracts if you're taking warfarin , a medicine used to prevent blood clots.
Cranberry juice can make the effects of warfarin more potent, so there's a risk of excessive bleeding. Constipation can increase your chances of developing a urinary tract infection UTI , so try to treat any constipation promptly.
The bacteria that cause kidney infections usually come from another part of your urinary tract , such as your bladder, ureters or urethra. Kidney infections can affect one kidney at a time or both of your kidneys at the same time. It is very important to treat kidney infections as soon as possible. Kidney infections that are not treated soon enough can cause permanent kidney damage or can spread to other parts of your body and cause an even more serious infection.
Anyone can get a kidney infection, but some people are more likely than others to get them. You are more likely to get a kidney infection if you:. If you notice any of these symptoms, contact your health care provider as soon as possible.
If you are currently taking medicine to treat a urinary tract infection UTI , but you are still having any of these symptoms, contact your health care provider.
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