Pyelonephritis
Mostkidney infections are treated successfully without complications, although some people may develop further problems.
Complications of a kidney infection are rare, but you're more likely todevelop them if you:
Some of the main complications of kidney infections are outlined below.
A kidney abscess isa rare, but serious, complication of a kidney infection, where pus develops inside the tissue of the kidney.
You'rethought to be most at risk of developing a kidney abscess if you have diabetes .
The symptoms of a kidney abscess are similar to those of a kidney infection. The most common are:
Kidney abscesses are potentially serious because the bacteria inside the abscess can spread to other parts ofyour body, such asyour bloodstream or lungs, and can be fatal.
Smaller abscesses can usually be treated with antibiotics through a drip. Surgery is usually required for larger abscesses. This involves drainingthe pus out of the abscess using a needle that's inserted into the kidney.
Blood poisoning (also called sepsis) is another rare, but potentially fatal, complication of a kidney infection.It happens when bacteria spreads from the kidneys into the bloodstream. Once bacteria arein your blood, the infection can spread to any part of your body, including all of the major organs.
Insomeone with a kidney infection, thesymptoms of blood poisoning include:
Blood poisoningis a medical emergency that usually requires admission to a hospital intensive care unit (ICU) while antibiotics are used to fight the infection.
If you're taking certain medications for diabetes, such as metformin or angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, they may be temporarily withdrawn until you recover. This is because they can cause kidney damage during an episode of blood poisoning.
Another rare, but potentially fatal, complication of a kidney infection is a condition called emphysematous pyelonephritis (EPN).
EPN is a severe infection, where the tissues of the kidneys are rapidly destroyed and the bacteria causingthe infection begin to release a toxic gas, which builds up inside the kidneys.
The exact cause of EPN is unclear, but almost all casesare in people with diabetes.
The usual treatment is emergency surgery to remove some, or all, of the affected kidney. It's possible to livea full and active lifewith only one kidney.
In very rare cases, a kidney infection can cause severe kidney damage that results in kidney failure. This is when the kidneys stop working properly.
Kidney failure is potentially fatal, but it can be treated with dialysis or a kidney transplant .
A kidney infection can also cause other complications, including high blood pressure (hypertension) or premature labour and birth .
A kidney infection (pyelonephritis) is a painful and unpleasant illness caused by bacteria travelling from your bladder into one or both of your kidneys
The symptoms of a kidney infection usually develop quite quickly over a few hours or days.
A kidney infection happens when bacteria enters and infects one or both of your kidneys.
To work out if you have a kidney infection, your GP will ask you about your symptoms and your recent medical history.
Most people with a kidney infection can be treated at home by taking a course of antibiotics, and possibly painkillers as well.
Most kidney infections are treated successfully without any complications, although some people may develop further problems.
The best way to prevent a kidney infection is to keep your bladder and urethra free from bacteria.