Infection

Kidney Infections
By Wendy Simons

As everyone knows the kidneys are our body’s cleansing center. When an infection occurs in the kidneys problems begin to develop. Kidney infections usually develop when germs travel from the bladder to the kidneys. Once they have reached the kidneys they begin habitating in this environment and then they multiply. There are two types of kidney infections that you can get.

One is the chronic kidney infection. This kidney infection develops slowly and grows over time. As this kidney infection does not disappear quickly it can cause kidney failure. The other type of kidney infection is that of acute kidney infection. In this type of kidney infection the pain begins with severe symptoms and it quickly dies down.

The causes of kidney infections can be pregnancy, diabetes, cancer, and kidney stones. Various abnormalities that occur in the urinary tract will lower your body’s ability to fight off these bacteria. These abnormalities and the bacteria are another of the reasons for kidney infections.

Foley catheters which are tubes that have been inserted through the urethra to drain the bladder can cause kidney infections if they have been left in place for a long time. Women will sometimes get kidney infections when various bacteria travels into the urinary tract after sexual intercourse.

Generally our bodies will give us various signs or symptoms that can indicate if we have kidney infections. These symptoms will appear and happen very fast. The symptoms include fever, chills, pain, upset stomach, lower back pain, vomiting, a constant need to urinate or an inability to urinate at all, blood in the urine, and pain or a burning sensation during urination.

When you suspect that you have kidney infections due to the above symptoms you should see your doctor. The doctor will send a urine sample to a lab for tests. Depending upon the findings and your physical condition the doctor will advise you if you need hospital care. Regardless of whether you will be hospitalize or not you will be given antibiotics.

You must continue to take these antibiotics until the entire course is finished. Should your kidney infections continue even after the medication has complete finished then your doctor may recommend that you take other tests to see what the cause of your kidney problem is.

As kidney infections can spread to the rest of your body they need to be treated before the problems become worse. There is also the possibility of untreated kidney infections causing repeated kidney infections and kidney failure. Therefore it is recommended that you treat your kidney infection as soon as possible.

Author Details:
Wendy Simons, copywriter for various websites including, The A to Z of Home Infection, part of an ambitious project to cover various subjects.

Source: Information Junkie

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