Top Tips To Prevent Further Kidney Infections
Some of the things that may help include the following:
- Dont hold on to urine. Go to the toilet promptly
- Stay well hydrated and make sure you drink plenty of fluids every day
- Constipation can increase your chances of a bladder or kidney infection, so treat constipation promptly
- Empty your bladder after having sex
- Always make sure that you wipe from front to back after going to the toilet
- Avoid using feminine products such as deodorant sprays or douches in your genital area
Kimberly-Clark Australia makes no warranties or representations regarding the completeness or accuracy of the information. This information should be used only as a guide and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional medical or other health professional advice.
Arnold, J., McLeod, N., Thani-Gasalam, R. and Rachid, P. . RACGP Overactive bladder syndrome management and treatment options. Racgp.org.au. Available at:.
Bladderclinic.com.au, . Overactive Bladder . Available at:.
Cherney, K. . Home Remedies for Overactive Bladder. Healthline. Available at:.
Eilber, MD, K. . What Is The Difference Between A Small Bladder And An . EmpowHER. Available at:
What Causes A Uti
If you have had a UTI in the past, youre at a higher risk of getting one before. Women are also more likely to get a UTI than men based on their female anatomy.
Your genetic background can also put you at a heightened risk. Other risk factors of a UTI include sexual intercourse, menopause, obesity and uncontrolled diabetes.
During intercourse, the area near the urethra is prone to bacteria therefore, its important that you urinate immediately following intercourse to prevent fecal bacteria from being transmitted to the bladder.
Women with a higher body mass index are also at a higher risk of a UTI because they typically have an increase in the folds of the labia, which can harbor bacteria.
Finally, anyone with uncontrolled diabetes typically struggle with a weakened immune system, causing them to be more susceptible to infection.
Feeling Faint Dizzy Or Weak
Why this happens:
Anemia related to kidney failure means that your brain is not getting enough oxygen. This can lead to feeling faint, dizzy, or weak.
What patients said:
I was always tired and dizzy.
It got to the point, like, I used to be at work, and all of the sudden Id start getting dizzy. So I was thinking maybe it was my blood pressure or else diabetes was going bad. Thats what was on my mind.
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What Are The Common Symptoms Of A Kidney Infection
If you have the following symptoms which are similar to basic urinary tract infection symptoms visit a nearby urgent care to treat the infection in a timely manner.
- Frequent or urgent, painful urination
- Cloudy, bad smelling, or bloody urine
- Pressure in the pelvis
- This could also be a sign of a bladder infection.
Our Lakway, TX and Colorado Springs, CO urgent care facilities are fully equipped to help you treat your kidney infection symptoms. For late-night kidney infection symptoms, our 24-hour emergency room locations throughout Texas are also available to serve you.
What Are The Effects Of Untreated Acute Prostatitis
Acute prostatitis is a type of infective prostatitis. It is caused by a bacterial infection of the prostate gland. Acute prostatitis presents as an acute urinary tract infection . It is usually associated with predisposing risk factors, including bladder outlet obstruction secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia or an immunosuppressed state.
Acute prostatitis is an infection that causes severe symptoms. It is the most serious and least common type of prostatitis. Men with this illness are usually very sick, and their symptoms come on suddenly. Approximately 5% of cases of acute bacterial prostatitis progress to chronic prostatitis. If you left your acute prostatitis untreated, it would lead to serious problems. Then what are the effects of untreated acute prostatitis?
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Who’s Most Likely To Get A Kidney Infection
Women and children are most at risk of developing a kidney infection, as well as other urinary tract infections such as cystitis.
Other factors can also put you more at risk of developing a kidney infection, including:
- having a condition that blocks, or obstructs, your urinary tract, such as kidney stones or an enlarged prostate children with constipation can also be at an increased risk
- being born with an abnormality in your urinary tract
- having a condition that prevents you emptying your bladder fully, such as an injury to your spinal cord this can allow bacteria in your bladder to multiply and spread
- having a weakened immune system for example, due to type 2 diabetes or as a side effect of chemotherapy
- having an infection of the prostate gland called prostatitis the infection can spread from the prostate gland into the kidneys
- having a urinary catheter
- being female and sexually active sexual intercourse can irritate the urethra and allow bacteria to travel into your bladder
- being pregnant this can cause physical changes that slow the flow of urine out of your body and make it easier for bacteria to spread to the kidneys
- having undergone female genital mutilation an illegal practice where a woman’s genitals are deliberately cut or changed for cultural, religious and social reasons
What Causes A Kidney Infection
The bacteria or viruses that cause kidney infections usually come from another part of your urinary tract, such as your bladder, ureters or urethra and spread to your kidneys. Less commonly, the bacteria or viruses come from an infection elsewhere in your body.
Kidney infection can also happen if the flow of urine through your urinary tract is blocked. This can happen due to:
- An enlarged prostate
- A problem with the shape of your urinary tract that makes it harder for urine to pass through
A kidney infection is not contagiousyou cannot catch one from another person or spread a kidney infection if you have one.
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Kidney Infection Home Remedies
You can do some things at home to feel better while you have an infection:
- Drink plenty of fluids to flush out germs.
- Get extra rest.
- When you go to the bathroom, sit on the toilet instead of squatting over it, which can keep your bladder from completely emptying.
- Take a pain reliever with acetaminophen. Donât use aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen because these can raise your risk of kidney problems.
- Use a heating pad on your belly, back, or side.
What Is A Kidney Infection
A kidney infection, or what doctors call pyelonephritis, is a type of urinary tract infection that most often originates from the bladder and spreads up into one or both of the kidneys. These infections can be caused by bacteria or viruses, but the bacteria Escherichia coli is a common culprit, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases . Most types of E. coli are usually harmless and found in your intestines, but the bacteria can wreak havoc when they make their way into the urinary tract, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Kidney infections are one of the most common urologic conditions that we see in general urology practice, Fara Bellows, MD, a urologist at OhioHealth, tells SELF. And theyre typically easy to treatas long as you put the kibosh on them early.
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What About Kidney Stones Are They Involved Here Somehow
Sort of. A kidney stone isnt an infection, but a collection of salt and minerals that hardens and turns into a stone. While some stones may be small others can be much larger. They may stay in the kidney, or begin to move into the ureter, the tube that connects the kidney and the bladder. When this happens, kidney stones can become extremely painful.
Kidney stones can be tricky, since they may have many of the same symptoms as a UTI or a kidney infection pain when urinating, needing to urinate often, and cloudy or strong smelling urine, blood in the urine, fever, nausea or vomiting. And while stones often pass on their own, larger stones sometimes need to be broken up, or removed.
Sometimes, kidney stones can lead to a urinary tract infection or a kidney infection, so its important to get them checked out by your doctor. And, since the symptoms are so similar, getting a checkup is probably a good idea anyway just to rule out the possibility of an infection, and to make sure the stone is moving along as it should.
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How Do You Know When A Uti Becomes A Kidney Infection
When you do not see a doctor, a urinary tract infection can swiftly turn into a kidney infection, which can be very serious to your long-term health.
Urinary tract infections are one of the most common types of infection, second only to respiratory infections. They account for over 8.3 million visits to hospitals and health care providers each year. An untreated UTI may lead to a kidney infection, this is a potentially life-threatening condition.
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You Can Spread An Untreated Yeast Infection
Yeast infections are not contagious in the way a virus might be, and theyre not a type of STI. Every person has Candida on their body and in their mouth and digestive system, usually without causing problems.
Its normal to rub some of these tiny organisms onto another person when you hug, kiss, breastfeed, share a toothbrush, or have sex. But if you have a yeast infection, its possible that you can transfer more Candida than usual to someone that you touch.
Transferring Candida from one person to another isnt enough to make that person develop a yeast infection. However, if that person is already at risk for candidiasis , they can also develop their own yeast infection.
You can avoid spreading candidiasis by brushing your teeth before and after kissing not sharing towels, sex toys, bathing suits, or underwear using condoms and dental dams and pumping milk or abstaining from breastfeeding if your child has oral thrush.
Treatments For Urinary And Kidney Infections
Kidney infections always require antibiotics. Donât rely on home remedies alone to take care of kidney infections.
Usually, doctors will prescribe empiric antibiotics to cover all the potential bacteria that could have caused the infection until they can target the specific bacteria based on test results. Antibiotics are usually prescribed for at least a full week.
Normally, you wonât require a stay at a hospital for a kidney infection as long as you can move around and consistently keep down oral antibiotics.
However, if you exhibit severe symptoms or cannot keep down the medication due to nausea and vomiting, you may be hospitalized so that your doctor may administer antibiotics and fluids intravenously.
If the kidney infection progresses enough to create an abscess in the kidney, you may require more serious treatment. Abscesses cannot be cured with antibiotics alone. In order to drain them, doctors will perform a nephrostomy, which involves placing a tube through your back, into the kidney.
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What To Expect From Kidney Infection Treatment
A kidney infection is easy to treat if its caught in its earliest stage, especially if youre young and generally healthy. In this case, a course of antibiotics lasting a week to two weeks is usually enough, Dr. Movassaghi says. However, taking the full course of antibiotics is key for fully fighting off the infection, even if youre feeling totally fine halfway through, so be sure to take every dose, says the NIDDK.
If you have a severe kidney infection or are immunocompromised, youll likely need to be treated in the hospital with intravenous antibiotics. After a few days, you should be able to move on to taking antibiotics by mouth.
In rare cases, a person might need surgery for a kidney infection. Usually, this is only considered if your doctor determines theres something blocking your urinary tract like a kidney stone or an enlarged prostate.
When Will I Begin To Feel Better
Once you start treatment, you should start to feel better in a few days.
Can I have sex while being treated for a kidney infection?After you have started treatment and your symptoms have gone away, it is usually safe to have sex. Remember to urinate after sex to avoid getting more bacteria in your urinary tract.
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Imaging Tests For Kidney Infection
Its usually unnecessary to order imaging tests to diagnose a kidney infection, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. Cases in which an imaging test may be helpful include:
- Your symptoms dont improve with treatment
- Your infection recurs
- Your doctor suspects a structural abnormality in your urinary tract
If your doctor believes that imaging tests are necessary, the following options are available:
Computerized Tomography Scan This test takes a series of X-ray images from different angles, which a computer combines to create detailed images of tissues in your body.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging This test uses a magnetic field and radio waves to create images of organs and tissues.
Ultrasound This test uses sound waves to create images of tissues. But since sound doesnt travel well through certain tissues, like bone, ultrasound has limitations.
Intravenous Pyelogram This test involves injecting a dye into your arm, then taking X-ray images of your urinary tract to look for signs of swelling or other abnormalities in your kidneys and bladder.
Voiding Cystourethrogram This test is similar to an intravenous pyelogram, and involves taking X-ray images of your bladder when its full and while youre urinating.
Infections Can Also Be Caused By:
- Kidney stones, enlarged prostates, and other conditions that obstruct the urinary tract, preventing proper emptying of urine from the body
- Spinal cord injury and other conditions that prevent you from properly emptying your bladder
- Menopause or medications that alter the hormones in your body, thus changing the bacterial environment in your urinary tract system
- Any condition that suppresses the immune system
- Certain sexually transmitted infections, including chlamydia, herpes, gonorrhea, and mycoplasma
In rare cases, a virus or fungus can cause UTIs.
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How Is Kidney Infection Diagnosed
A kidney infection is usually diagnosed based on your symptoms, a physical exam, and the results of urine tests, indicating bacteria in your urinary tract.
Your doctor will likely ask about your health history and any conditions that might place you at higher risk of a kidney infection, such as having an enlarged prostate gland or a medical condition that can cause urinary retention, such as multiple sclerosis.
Sometimes a doctor will order imaging tests, such as an ultrasound or computerized tomography scan, to look for signs of swelling or other abnormalities in your kidneys or bladder.
Complications Of A Kidney Infection
If it isnt treated promptly, a kidney infection can lead to a number of potentially serious complications.
Youre more likely to develop a complication from a kidney infection if you have:
- Prior kidney disease
- A history of kidney infections
- A structural abnormality in your urinary tract
The following complications can result from a kidney infection:
High Blood Pressure Your blood pressure can rise to unhealthy levels as your immune system tries to fight your infection.
Kidney Failure If its serious enough, an infection can stop your kidneys from effectively removing waste products from your blood.
Scarring If you develop scars in your kidneys from an infection, your kidneys may not be able to function properly, potentially leading to chronic kidney disease.
Blood Infection One of the main jobs of your kidneys is to filter waste products out of your blood. A kidney infection can spread to your entire bloodstream in this process.
A bloodstream infection can, in turn, lead to sepsis, which is a severe inflammatory reaction to bacteria. Sepsis can be life-threatening.
Renal or Perinephric Abscess If the infection in your kidney is not treated promptly, the bacteria may create an abscess, or pocket of pus, inside or next to your kidney.
Pregnancy Complications A kidney infection during pregnancy raises the risk of low birth weight in your baby.
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When Should I Go To The Doctor For A Uti
Any time youre suffering from symptoms that are similar to those of a urinary tract infection, you should visit a doctor to receive a proper diagnosis.
These symptoms include pain or burning when you urinate, blood in your urine, an urgent feeling to urinate, frequent urination in small amount, fever or chills, back pain, pain over the bladder or cloudy or dark urine.
If youve been diagnosed with a UTI and are currently being treated with an antibiotic, there is a good chance you wont need to return to your doctor.
However, if do not feel your symptoms going away after youve completed your antibiotics, its a good idea to go back to the doctor.
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