Understanding Kidney Pain and Kidney Infection

Kidney Pain And Kidney Infection:

Kidney pain, often equated with back pain, is a chief symptom of kidney infection. When it is experienced together with urination difficulties, the person may have kidney infection. This is a serious condition that should be promptly treated to prevent severe complications.

What Is Kidney Pain?

Kidney pain is distinguished from other back pains by two things: its location and nature. First, the kidneys are located higher up in the trunk than most people think. They are found just under the rib cage, on a person’s back. Second, kidney pain is characterized as dull and constant, rather than stabbing, sharp or intemittent. It also tends to manifest on just one side of the back: on the left or the right.

That said, it is possible to feel pain in what doctors call a “referred” or “radiated” manner. This kind of pain is felt on a part of the body that may be close to, but is not, the source of the pain. Thus, it is possible to feel kidney pain not on or even near the actual location of the kidneys. People with kidney infection do in fact feel pain on their flanks or abdomen, or on lower areas of their back. It is also common for them to feel pain in the genital area.

Another kind of pain usually associated with kidney problems is pain during urination. Some people complain of a burning sensation while passing urine. This causes considerable discomfort, because they also feel a frequent urge to urinate throughout the day. Thus they make repeated visits to the toilet, like pregnant women or people taking diuretics do.

Kidney Pain Symptoms:

Aside from pain and urination problems, other symptoms of kidney infection include fever, fatigue, body aches, nausea and vomiting, and hematuria or pyuria. Hematuria is blood on the urine, while pyuria is pus on the urine. Pyuria is almost always a sure sign of infection. Hematuria, meanwhile, may also indicate other diseases, such as sexually transmitted infections and bleeding disorders.
Not all of these symptoms are usually experienced. Most people with kidney infection feel only pain and some difficulty urinating. If there is pyuria or hematuria, the infection may already be in an advanced stage. The person should therefore not delay seeing a doctor.
With a few days of taking antibiotics, most kidney pain symptoms go away. If they don’t, the doctor should be informed right away so he can modify the medical intervention as needed.

Kidney Pain Causes:

Many things can cause kidney pain. The most common cause is, of course, kidney infection or pyelonephritis. Any bleeding, disease, abnormality or cancerous cells in the kidneys can produce pain. So can problems in the nerves and blood vessels that enter or lead to the kidneys. Examples are clotting and blockages in the renal blood vessels, such as renal vein thrombosis and renal atherosclerosis.

People are often surprised to learn that there are many different types of kidney disease that can cause kidney pain. The list includes polycystic renal disease, acute renal disease, horseshoe kidney, glomerulonephritis, nephritis, diabetic nephropathy, and chronic kidney disease. To have an accurate diagnosis, one must consult with a specialist such as a urologist or a nephrologist.

In the case of simple kidney infection, the cause is bacteria from the environment. These harmful microorganisms enter the body through the urethra. They multiply and find their way upward the urinary tract: through the urethral canal, into the bladder, through the ureters, and finally in the kidney itself. Each person has two kidneys, and often, only one of these becomes infected at a time. This is the reason why back pain is usually felt on just one side (left or right).

In rare instances, bacterial infection may come not from the outside, but from a contaminated bloodstream. Blood continually enters the kidneys, and so these organs are among the first to feel the effects of septicemia or blood poisoning, should this occur. This is a life-threatening condition that requires immediate medical treatment.

Contrary to what most people think, kidney stones do not usually cause kidney pain. As long as they are in the kidneys, stones typically cause no pain. What causes sharp, intense pain is when the stones move out of the kidney, along the ureters on their way to the bladder. The medical term for this severe pain is ”renal colic” or “ureteral colic.”

Kidney Pain Treatment:

Pain resulting from kidney infection is treated with antibiotics. If the pain is severe, the doctor may also prescribe pain relievers.

It is important for the doctor to determine what exactly is causing the kidney pain before he can prescribe medications or even devise a medical plan. As mentioned, there is a variety of kidney problems that can cause pain. The treatment plan for glomerulonephritis is different from that for, say, renal vein thrombosis. Some kidney diseases will require long-term treatment, while others may also necessitate surgery.

In general, kidney infection is more easily treated than other kidney disorders. Nonetheless, the infection still needs prompt treatment. If this is not given, there is a chance that the kidney may be damaged permanently, and other severe complications can occur.

If infection is suspected, the doctor needs to know the specific kind of bacteria causing the problem, so he can choose the right antibiotics. Urine tests and cultures are done to identify the specific pathogen responsible. Once a course of antibiotics is started, it must be completed up to the prescribed period, even if the symptoms subside long before this. This will ensure that all bacteria are destroyed and the infection is totally eliminated. Some people stop taking their antibiotics once the symptoms are gone, even though the prescribed medication period is not yet over. This is a dangerous practice, as it can lead to the development of resistant strains of bacteria.

Kidney Pain Final Words:

The important thing to remember is to consult a doctor right away when kidney infection is suspected, or when worrisome symptoms appear. The kidneys are very important organs of the body. They are crucial to good health. When they become infected or impaired, immediate measures must be taken to prevent further damage and restore them to normal functioning. The way to do this is to seek professional medical help immediately, and to comply strictly with the treatment plan prescribed by the doctor.