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Kidney Infection Symptoms & Treatment

A kidney infection, which is called pyelonephritis, is a form of urinary tract infection. The infection usually starts in the bladder or urethra and then travels to the kidney. Since your kidney is responsible for filtering waste from the blood, it is important to treat any infection promptly.

  1. Common Symptoms

    • If you have a kidney infection, you may experience frequent urination or a strong urge to urinate. You may feel a burning sensation when urinating and notice that your urine is cloudy or strong smelling. In contrast, some people find that they have difficulty urinating.

    Other Symptoms

    • Other symptoms of a kidney infection include seeing pus or blood in the urine, abdominal pain or pressure and the need to urinate during the night. Back pain, groin pain or skin that is warm and red may also occur.

    Less Common Symptoms

    • Symptoms that are less common and signal a serious infection include night sweats, severe chills and a high temperature of over 100 degrees. Extreme fatigue, mental confusion or vomiting are signs that your infection has become worse.

    Complications

    • Kidney infections that are left untreated can lead to kidney failure and poisoning of the blood, both of which are life threatening.

    Treatment with Antibiotics

    • Antibiotics are the normal course of treatment for kidney infections. The severity of the infection will determine what antibiotics need to be taken, and the time frame you need to take them for. If the infection is severe, you may need to be hospitalized and given antibiotics intravenously.

    Surgery

    • Needing surgery for a kidney infection is rare. However, if you are having chronic infections, you may have an underlying structural problem in the urinary system that needs to be addressed.

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