Pyelonephritis - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Pyelonephritis is an ascending urinary tract infection that has reached the pyelum of the kidney . Diagnosis is made with a urine test to identify bacteria and formations of white blood cells, called casts, shaped like tubes in the kidneys. Infections usually ascend from the genital area through the urethra to the bladder, up the ureters, into the kidneys. Diagnosing and managing acute pyelonephritis is not always straightforward. Pyelonephritis is a serious bacterial infection of the kidney that can be acute or chronic. Kidney and ureter infection usually bacterial from the bladder. The use of blood cultures should be reserved for patients with an uncertain diagnosis, those who are immnocompromised, and those who are suspected of having hematogenous infections. It can be serious because of the important function of the kidneys and because the infection may enter the bloodstream. It is most often due to the ascent of bacteria from the bladder up the ureters to infect the kidneys.

Pyelonephritis is a bacterial infection of the kidney. This is infection within the renal pelvis, usually accompanied by infection within the renal parenchyma. Indications for inpatient treatment include complicated infections, sepsis, persistent vomiting, failed outpatient treatment, or extremes of age. A number of studies using immunochemical markers have shown that many women, who initially present with lower tract symptoms, actually have pyelonephritis. However, any physical obstruction to the flow of urine, such as a structural abnormality, kidney stone, or an enlarged prostate, or the backflow of urine from the bladder into the ureters increases the likelihood of pyelonephritis.

Causes of Pyelonephritis

Common causes and risk factor's of Pyelonephritis include the following :

• Urinary tract infection.
• E.coli urinary tract infection.
• Bladder infection.
• Urinary catheter procedure.
• Pregnancy.

Symptoms of Pyelonephritis

Some of the common sign and symptoms of the disease Pyelonephritis as follows:

• Severe abdominal pain.
• Fever.
• Chills with shaking.
• Warm skin.
• Vomiting, nausea .
• Fatigue.
• Painful urination.
• Increased urinary frequency or urgency .
• Need to urinate at night.
• Cloudy or abnormal urine color.

Treatment of Pyelonephritis

Find effective treatment methods of treating Pyelonephritis :

• Trimethoprim or nitrofurantoin are often used first-line, although in full-blown pyelonephritis amoxicillin , gentamycin , fluoroquinolones or a third generation cephalosporins are often favoured.
• The choice of drug or its dosage may be modified based on the laboratory test results, how sick the person is, and whether the infection started in the hospital, where bacteria tend to be resistant to antibiotics.
• After obtaining a urine culture to identify the bacteria, antibiotics are selected to treat the infection.
• Patients with complicated acute pyelonephritis who are more ill or have not responded to outpatient therapy should be hospitalized .