Kidney Infection in Adults

Pyelonephritis is a kidney infection, usually from bacteria that spread from the bladder. Possible causes of infection include the following:

• Use of a catheter to drain urine from the bladder.
• Use of a cystoscope to examine the bladder and urethra.
• Surgery on the urinary tract.
• Conditions such as prostate enlargement and kidney stones that prevent the efficient flow of urine from the bladder.

Symptoms and signs include:

• Back, side, and groin pain.
• Urgent, frequent urination.
• Pain or burning during urination.
• Fever; nausea and vomiting.
• Pus and blood in the urine.

Diagnosis is made with a urine test to identify bacteria and formations of white blood cells, called casts, shaped like tubes in the kidneys. If an infection cannot be easily cured, x-rays might be done to look for abnormalities in the kidneys, ureters, and bladder. A kidney infection is treated with an appropriate antibiotic, and abnormalities may need to be surgically treated.

An untreated or recurrent kidney infection can lead to chronic pyelonephritis, scarring of the kidneys, and permanent kidney damage.

Each year, Medical College of Wisconsin physicians care for more than 180,000 patients, representing nearly 500,000 patient visits. Medical College physicians practice at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital, the Milwaukee VA Medical Center, and many other hospitals and clinics in Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin.