How to Diagnose Pyelonephritis

A common but serious renal disease, Pyelonephritis is a kidney infection typically caused by bacteria spread from the bladder. The disease can be either acute, a sudden inflammation, or a chronic, long term kidney inflammation. A speedy diagnosis is important, because frequent or severe kidney infections may lead to permanent damage and chronic kidney disease.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Notice any early symptoms of infection, including a high fever, shaking chills, or muscle, joint, side, back and groin pain.
2. See your physician if symptoms continue, become worse, or if you also develop burning or painful urination, a frequent need to urinate, headaches, loss of appetite, vomiting and discolored or bloody urine.
3. Inform your physician of all symptoms, after which he performs a medical exam to rule out other medical problems. Allow your physician to take a urine culture and blood tests to look for bacteria and disease specific formations of white blood cells.
4. Undergo an ultrasound of your kidneys if your physician deems it necessary. She also may want to take X-rays of your kidneys, bladder and ureter to look for abnormalities.

Tips & Warnings

• Pyelonephritis causes constant kidney pain unlike the pain associated with kidney stones, which comes in waves.
• Don't wait to seek medical attention if you suffer from any of the symptoms above. Left untreated, Pyelonephritis may cause renal failure or even death.
• Some people with chronic Pyelonephritis have little or no symptoms for years until the kidneys suffer irreparable damage.