Page 20 - NOVEMBER 2017 'A' ISSUE

HEALTH and Lifestyle
KIDNEY INFECTION20 www.hello-philippines.com
A kidney infection (pyelonephritis) is
a painful and unpleasant illness caused
by bacteria travelling from your bladder
into one or both of your kidneys.
It’s more serious than cystitis, a
common infection of the bladder that
makes urinating painful.
If treated promptly, a kidney
infection doesn’t cause serious harm,
but will make you feel very unwell. If
a kidney infection isn’t treated, it can
get worse and cause permanent kidney
damage.
Symptoms of a kidney infection
often come on within a few hours. You
can feel feverish, shivery, sick and have
a pain in your back or side.
When to see your GP. See your GP if
you have a fever and persistent tummy,
lower back or genital pain, or if you
notice a change to your usual pattern of
urination.
Most kidney infections need prompt
treatment with antibiotics to stop the
infection from damaging the kidneys or
spreading to the bloodstream. You may
also need painkillers.
If you’re especially vulnerable to the
effects of an infection—for example, if
you have a pre-existing health condition
or are pregnant, you may be admitted
to hospital and treated with antibiotics
through an intravenous drip.
After taking antibiotics, you should
feel completely better after about two
weeks.
In rare cases, a kidney infection can
cause further problems. These include
blood poisoning (sepsis) and a build-up
of pus in the kidney called an abscess.
Complications. Most kidney
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
to develop them if you:
•are a child
•are over 65
•are pregnant
•have diabetes, chronic kidney
disease or sickle cell anaemia
•have had a kidney
transplant (particularly in the first three
months after the transplant)
•have a weakened immune system
•developed the kidney infection
while in hospital
Some of the main complications of
kidney infections are outlined below.
Kidney abscess. A kidney abscess is a
rare, but serious, complication of a
kidney infection, where pus develops
inside the tissue of the kidney.
You’re thought 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:
•a high temperature of 38C (100.4F)
or above
•chills
•abdominal pain
•loss of appetite
•pain when passing urine
Kidney abscesses are potentially
serious because the bacteria inside
the abscess can spread to other parts
of your body, such as your 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 draining the
pus out of the abscess using a needle
that’s inserted into the kidney.
Blood poisoning. 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 are in
your blood, the infection can spread to
any part of your body, including all of
the major organs.
In someone with a kidney infection,
the symptoms of blood poisoning
include:
•low blood pressure, which makes
you feel dizzy when you stand up
•confusion or disorientation
•excessive sweating
•uncontrollable shaking or shivering
•high temperature or lower body
temperature than usual (under 36C, or
96.8F)
•pale skin
•rapid heartbeat
•breathlessness
The best way to
prevent a kidney
infection is to keep
your bladder and
urethra free from
bacteria.
Blood poisoning is 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.
Severe infection. 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 causing the
infection begin to release a toxic gas,
which builds up inside the kidneys.
The exact cause of EPN is unclear,
but almost all cases are in people with
diabetes.
The usual treatment is emergency
surgery to remove some, or all, of the
November 2017 – No. 21 • UK & Europe Edition
affected kidney. It’s possible to live a full
and active life with only one kidney.
Kidney failure. 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.
Other problems. A kidney infection
can also cause other complications,
including high blood pressure
(hypertension) or premature labour
and birth.
What causes a kidney infection?
A kidney infection usually happens
when bacteria – often a type called E.
coli – gets into the urethra (the tube
which carries urine out of the body) and
travels up through the bladder and into
the kidneys.
Causes. A kidney infection happens
when bacteria infects your kidneys. The
bacteria are usually a type called E. coli,
which live in your bowel.
The bacteria get in through the
opening of the urethra and move
upwards through your urinary tract,
first infecting your bladder and then
your kidneys.
It’s thought the bacteria can get
into your urinary tract by accidentally
spreading from your anus to your
urethra. This can happen if you wipe
your bottom after going to the toilet
and the soiled toilet paper comes into
contact with your genitals. It can also
happen during sex.
In rare cases, a kidney infection can
develop if bacteria or fungi infect the
skin and the infection spreads through
your bloodstream into your kidney.
However, this type of infection usually
only occurs in people with weakened
immune systems.
Who’s most likely to get a kidney
infection? Women and children are
most at risk of developing a kidney
infection, as well as other urinary tract
infections (UTIs) such as cystitis.
In women, the urethra is closer to
the anus than in men, making it easier
for bacteria from the anus to enter
the urethra accidentally. The female
urethra is also much shorter than the
male urethra (which runs through the
penis). This makes it easier for bacteria
to reach the bladder and move into the
kidneys.
Other factors can also put you more
at risk of developing a kidney infection, they may be born with an abnormality
including:
•having a condition that
blocks, or obstructs, your urinary
tract, such as kidney stones or
an enlarged prostate—children
with constipation can also be at an
increased risk
•being born with an abnormality in
your urinary tract
•having a condition that prevents
you emptying your bladder fully, such
as an injury to your spinal cord—this
can allow bacteria in your bladder to
multiply and spread
•having a weakened immune
system—for example, due to type
2 diabetes or as a side effect
of chemotherapy
•having an infection of the prostate
gland called prostatitis—the infection
can spread from the prostate gland into
the kidneys Drinking cranberry juice or
•having a urinary catheter (a thin,
flexible tube inserted into your bladder
to drain away urine)
•being female and sexually active—
sexual intercourse can irritate the
urethra and allow bacteria to travel into potent, so there’s a risk of excessive
your bladder
•being a man who has anal sex—
bacteria can travel up the urethra into
the bladder
•being pregnant—this can cause
physical changes that slow the flow
of urine out of your body and make
it easier for bacteria to spread to the
kidneys
•having undergone female
genital mutilation (FGM)—an illegal
practice where a woman›s genitals are
deliberately cut or changed for cultural,
religious and social reasons
Who’s at risk? Kidney infections are
relatively rare. It’s estimated that one
in every 830 people develops a kidney
infection each year in the UK.
They can happen at any age, but
are much more common in women. In
fact, women are six times more likely to
get a kidney infection than men. This is
because a woman’s urethra is shorter,
making it easier for bacteria to reach
the kidneys.
Younger women are most at
risk because they tend to be more
sexually active, and having frequent
sex increases the chances of getting a
kidney infection.
Younger children are also vulnerable
to developing kidney infections because
of the urinary tract or have a condition
called vesico-ureteric reflux, where
there is a backflow of urine from the
bladder up to the kidneys.
Can kidney infections be prevented?
You can reduce your chances of
developing a kidney infection by
keeping your bladder and urethra free
from bacteria. This can include drinking
plenty of fluids, keeping your genitals
clean and treating any constipation.
Prevention. The best way to prevent
a kidney infection is to keep your
bladder and urethra free from bacteria.
These self-help tips explain how you
can do this.
Drink plenty of liquids. Drinking
plenty of liquids, particularly water, will
help to wash bacteria from your bladder
and urinary tract.
taking cranberry extracts may also
help prevent urinary tract infections
(UTIs). However, you should avoid
cranberry juice or extracts if you’re
taking warfarin, a medicine used to
prevent blood clots. Cranberry juice
can make the effects of warfarin more
bleeding.
Toilet tips. To help keep your urinary
tract free from bacteria:
•go to the toilet as soon as you feel
the need to urinate, rather than holding
it in
•wipe from front to back after going
to the toilet
•practice good hygiene by washing
your genitals every day and before
having sex
•empty your bladder after having
sex
•if you’re a woman, avoid “hovering”
over a toilet seat as this position can
often leave urine behind in the bladder
Treat constipation. Constipation can
increase your chances of developing
a urinary tract infection (UTI), so try
to treat any constipation promptly.
Recommended treatments for
constipation include:
•increasing the amount of fibre in
your diet to 20-30g of fibre a day
•using a mild laxative on a short-
term basis
•drinking plenty of fluids
See your GP if your symptoms don’t
improve after 14 days (or seven days for
children with constipation).
Be careful with contraceptives.
If you keep getting UTIs (more
than three a year is considered
high), avoid using spermicide-
coated condoms or diaphragms. This
is because spermicide can stimulate the
production of bacteria.
Stick to lubricated condoms without
spermicide, because unlubricated ones
can irritate the urethra and make it more
vulnerable to infection. n NHS Choices