Pyelonephritis

Clinic

• Pyelonephritis is inflammation of the kidney, typically due to a bacterial infection, most commonly Escherichia coli.
• The mechanism of infection is usually spread up the urinary tract.
• Less often infection occurs through the bloodstream.

Signs / Symptoms

• High fever
• Pain on passing urine
• Abdominal pain that radiates along the flank towards the back.
• Vomiting
• Tenderness at the costovertebral angle on the affected side
• Gross hematuria (Hemorrhagic cystitis) is present in 30-40% of pyelonephritis cases in females, most often young women. Gross hematuria is unusual in males and should prompt consideration of a more serious cause.
  

Pyelonephritis vs Nephritis

• Nephritis is often caused by infections, and toxins, but is most commonly caused by autoimmune disorders
• Pyelonephritis is inflammation that results from a urinary tract infection that reaches the renal pelvis of the kidney.