What Is a Kidney Infection?
A kidney infection is a type of urinary tract infection (UTI). Most kidney infections are caused by bacteria or viruses that first infect your lower urinary tract, usually your bladder. Then, the infection moves upstream to one or both of your kidneys, which are part of the upper urinary tract.
In some cases, you can get a kidney infection after surgery if bacteria enter your body during the procedure and travel through your blood to the kidneys.
Your body has ways to defend against infections in the urinary tract. For example, urine normally flows one way from your kidneys to your bladder. Viruses or bacteria that enter are flushed out by urinating. This one-way flow of urine usually prevents an infection in your urinary tract.
Sometimes your body’s defenses fail and bacteria or viruses cause a UTI in the bladder. If you have symptoms of a bladder infection, see a health care professional. You may need treatment to prevent the infection from spreading to your kidneys. Kidney infections are often very painful and can cause serious health problems.
Does kidney infection have another name?
Yes, the medical term for kidney infection is pyelonephritis.
How common are kidney infections?
Kidney infections cause most of the 100,000 hospital visits for UTIs in the United States each year.
Source: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)