What Are the Symptoms of a Kidney Infection in Males?

A kidney infection, or pyelonephritis, is an inflammation of the kidneys that usually occurs when cystitis or urethritis travels up the urinary system and reaches the kidneys. Of all the urinary infections, pyelonephritis is the most serious. Many people who suffer from kidney infections require hospitalization and intravenous antibiotics to cure it. The earlier you catch the symptoms of a kidney infection, the better your prognosis.

Males and Kidney Infections

• Many people think that men cannot get urinary infections like pyelonephritis, but that is untrue. Men do have some resistance to urinary infections because most of these infections are caused when bacteria are spread into the urethra. The urethra is the tube through which urine is excreted from the body. While both men and women have urethras, the man's is much longer than the woman's is. This usually prevents urinary infections from traveling up the urethra, to the bladder and eventually to the kidneys. However, it does happen in some cases.

Frequent Urge to Urinate

• Like most urinary infections, a kidney infection may cause an urge to urinate frequently. This is because your body is trying to flush the bacteria from the urinary system. Even though you have a sudden need to urinate a lot, there may be little or no urine coming out. This can happen because the man's urinary tract is being blocked by an obstruction, such as a kidney or bladder stone.

Unusual Urine

• As the biggest byproduct of your urinary system, your urine can hold clues to what is going on with your kidneys. If your kidneys are infected, your urine may come out differently than usual. It can be darker or smellier than normal. Your urine can also have blood in it, a sign that the kidneys are in trouble. Some men even experience a burning sensation when they urinate if they have a kidney infection.

Lower Body Pain

• Most urinary infections symptoms include pain when urinating or pain the pelvic area. Kidney infections may also cause pain in your lower back, near where your kidneys are located. This can occur because your kidneys are being irritated and inflamed by the bacteria that causes kidney infections. Cramping or burning in the urethra, the bladder and the kidneys are not uncommon with a kidney infection.

Fever

• Another way you know that a urinary infection that reached the kidneys is a fever. It is not normally present with lower urinary tract infections. In fact, in younger males who are not old enough to describe their other symptoms properly, a persistent fever with signs of cold or flu may be the only sign of a kidney infection.