Acute pyelonephritis

Localization studies have shown that distinguishing between upper and lower urinary tract infection on clinical grounds can be inaccurate. However, the combination of fever, loin pain and tenderness and significant bacteriuria is usually regarded as indicating bacterial infection of the kidney (acute pyelonephritis). Small renal cortical abscesses and streaks of pus in the renal medulla are often present. Histologically there is focal infiltration by polymorphonuclear leucocytes and many polymorphs in tubular lumina.

Germs called bacteria usually cause urinary tract infections (UTI's), including pyelonephritis. Some health conditions can decrease your ability to fight germs, increasing your risk of UTIs.

Although with antibiotics significant permanent kidney damage in adults with normal urinary tracts is rare, CT scanning, however, can show wedge-shaped areas of inflammation in the renal cortex and hence damage to renal function.

Your physician will take a medical history, perform a physical exam, and recommend tests including blood tests and blood cultures, urinalysis and urine culture, and possibly an ultrasound study of the kidneys.

It causes high fever, vomiting, stomach pain, irritability and poor feeding in infants. Usual treatment is antibiotics given first by injection (IV) and then orally for 7-14 days to clear the infection and prevent kidney damage.

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