How to know you have kidney infection

What are the symptoms of kidney infections?

Symptoms of kidney infections vary by age. Symptoms may include

• chills
• fever
• pain in your back, side, or groin
• nausea
• vomiting
• cloudy, dark, bloody, or foul-smelling urine
• frequent, painful urination

A child younger than 2 years old with a kidney infection may only have a high fever.

An adult older than age 65 with a kidney infection may have none of the typical symptoms. An older person may only have problems with thinking, such as

• confusion
• hallucinations
• jumbled speech

Seek care right away

Seek care right away if you have kidney infection symptoms. A kidney infection can sometimes lead to a dangerous condition called sepsis, which can be life threatening. Symptoms of sepsis include fever, chills, rapid breathing and heart rate, rash, and confusion.

A kidney infection that becomes chronic, or long lasting, can cause permanent damage to your kidneys.

What causes a kidney infection?

Kidney infections are caused by bacteria or viruses.

Scientists believe that most kidney infections start as a bladder infection that moves upstream to infect one or both of your kidneys. Most often, the infection is caused by bacteria that normally live in your bowel. The urinary tract has several ways to prevent infection from moving up the urinary tract. For example, urination most often flushes out bacteria before it reaches the bladder. Sometimes your body can’t fight the bacteria and the bacteria cause a UTI. If you don’t get medical treatment to stop the infection, the bacteria may infect your kidneys.

In some cases, your blood can carry bacteria or viruses from another part of your body to your kidneys.

This content is provided as a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), part of the National Institutes of Health. The NIDDK translates and disseminates research findings to increase knowledge and understanding about health and disease among patients, health professionals, and the public. Content produced by the NIDDK is carefully reviewed by NIDDK scientists and other experts.

The NIDDK would like to thank:
Ann E. Stapleton, MD, FIDSA, FACP, University of Washington School of Medicine

Bachelorette co-host Tayshia Adams shared a scary health update with fans over the weekend: She developed a kidney infection that was so severe, she needed to go to the hospital. But what is a kidney infection anyhow, and how is one treated?

Adams, 31, said in her Instagram Stories that she had stomach pain here and there early last week but started struggling with severe abdominal pain on Wednesday night. By Thursday morning, she said she, "couldn't even sit up straight because I was in so much pain." Adams went to the hospital where, she said, she was diagnosed with “a really bad kidney infection."

Adams, who ran the New York City marathon the weekend before, implied that her lack of drinking water could have contributed to the issue. "I do not drink water, like, at all," she said. "And it's really bad, especially after a marathon, so that maybe could've been the effect that it may have had on this whole thing. But other than that, it's really just me."

She later updated fans on her condition on Sunday, noting that she felt well enough to go out to lunch and shopping. Adams also pointed out that she bought bottled water while she was out, adding, “never have I ever, but I’m hydrating!”

It’s only natural to wonder about kidney infections after hearing Adams’ story. Here’s what you need to know.

What is a kidney infection?

A kidney infection, aka pyelonephritis, is a type of urinary tract infection (UTI) that usually starts in your bladder and moves up to one or both of your kidneys, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). It’s also possible to get a kidney infection through bacteria in your blood, says S. Adam Ramin, M.D., urologist and medical director of Urology Cancer Specialists in Los Angeles, Calif. But, he adds, “this is much less common.”

Your body has natural defenses in place to help prevent urinary tract infections—including kidney infections—like urinary flowing one way from your kidneys to your bladder to help flush out bacteria or viruses that could get into those areas, the NIDDK says. But sometimes those defenses fail and bacteria and viruses can thrive, leading to an infection.

While kidney infections are less common than bladder infection, they “are usually more serious,” Lewis Nelson, M.D., the chair of emergency medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.

Certain factors increase your risk of developing a kidney infection, according to the Mayo Clinic, including being female (the urethra is shorter in women than men, making it easier for bacteria to travel to the bladder), having a urinary blockage from a kidney stone, having a weakened immune system, nerve damage around the bladder, and having a condition that causes urine to flow the wrong way.

What are the symptoms of a kidney infection?

Symptoms can vary, according to the NIDDK, but generally include the following:

• chills
• fever
• pain in your back, side, or groin
• nausea
• vomiting
• cloudy, dark, bloody, or foul-smelling pee
• frequent, painful urination

It can be tricky to tell the symptoms of a kidney infection from a bladder infection, but Dr. Nelson says there are a few key signs to look out for. “Bladder infections cause painful urination, lower abdominal pain, and sometimes a low-grade fever,” he says. “Kidney infections are associated with pain in the back or flank on the affected side as well as high fever, vomiting, and other more serious signs. Even though both involve the urinary tract, they are quite different diseases.”

How are kidney infections treated?

Kidney infections are treated with antibiotics, and usually for two weeks, Dr. Ramin says. The actual type of antibiotic depends on the type of bacteria that’s detected in your urine, though.

In more severe cases, a patient will be hospitalized and given IV antibiotics and fluids to try to help them feel better, the Mayo Clinic says.

When kidney infections aren’t treated in time, they can lead to serious complications like scarring of your kidneys, blood infections, and even pregnancy complications, Dr. Ramin points out.

Once you start treatment for a kidney infection, you should start to feel better soon, says Brad Rovin, M.D., director of nephrology at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. "It can take several days to get better, but usually resolves with antibiotics," he says.

How can you prevent kidney infections in the first place?

Adams is right: Drinking water is important. “Drinking more water has been shown to reduce the risk of infection,” Dr. Nelson says. “This makes sense because the increase rate of bladder emptying reduces the chance for the urine and bladder to become infected.” Not only can be well hydrated help flush out your urinary tract, it can also help keep your immune system functioning well enough to fight off infections, Dr. Ramin says.

Other tips that can help, per Dr. Rovin, including peeing after you have sex (to flush out any bacteria that could have been pushed into your urethra), peeing as soon as you need to go, and wiping from front to back.

It's also important to keep tabs on your urinary symptoms and taking action if anything seems off, says David Kaufman, M.D., director of Central Park Urology, a division of Maiden Lane Medical. "Do not try to self-manage by tolerating symptoms and over-hydrating to mitigate symptoms," he says. Dr. Ramin agrees. “Any burning, increased frequency, or blood in the urine should prompt a call to your doctor,” he says. “It’s really important that these symptoms are taken seriously and treated right away.”

Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Self, Glamour, and more. She has a master’s degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.

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