Pyelonephritis is a kidney infection caused by bacteria entering the urinary tract and ascending to the bladder and through the ureters (tubes which carry urine from the kidneys). It is one of the most common types of renal diseases, and is also...
Kidney infection, also called pyelonephritis, is an infection that starts in the lower urinary tract--urethra or bladder--and spreads to the kidneys, according to the Mayo Clinic. Pyelonephritis may be acute--short-term--or chronic, meaning that...
Roughly 250,000 kidney infections (called pyelonephritis) occur each year in the U.S., according to an article in the "American Family Physician" journal by Kalyanakrishnan Ramakrishnan, M.D., and Dewey C. Scheid, M.D., M.P.H. In most cases,...
Kidney infection, also known as pyelonephritis, can damage kidneys if left untreated. Kidney infections are generally caused by bacteria entering through the urinary tract and traveling up to the kidneys, according to the Mayo Clinic. Kidney...
White blood cells, or WBCs, are not normally found in the urinary tract. Urine is normally sterile and contains no blood cells, so the presence of WBCs in a urine sample indicates inflammation or infection within the urinary tract or kidney. The...
Numerous conditions or factors can cause hypokalemia, or a potassium deficiency. According to the World's Healthiest Foods website, potassium helps a person's muscles and nerves function properly, maintains the proper electrolyte and acid-base...
Bladder infections are the result of bacteria traveling up through the urethra and colonizing the bladder. If not properly treated, a bladder infection can ascend into the kidneys, resulting in a condition known a pyelonephritis. These bacterial...
Patients suffering from long term kidney disease or severe hypertension eventually end up with smaller kidneys because tissue is lost to scarring. For this reason, enlarged kidneys are a relatively rare phenomenon and only associated with a few...
Approximately 8 percent of women develop urinary tract infections, or UTIs, during pregnancy, reported lead author John Dalzell, M.D., in "Urinary Tract Infections during Pregnancy," published in the American Family Physician on February 1, 2000....
The main function of the excretory system, also referred to as the urinary system, is to maintain a proper balance of body fluids through the excretion of waste products. Other functions include salt balance in the body and blood and the...
When a kidney stone blocks the tubes that drain urine from the kidneys to the bladder, called the ureters, urine collects in the kidneys, causing a kidney infection. Kidney stones may block the tube that drains the bladder, called the urethra, and...
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of most common reasons that people go to a physician or health care provider. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, urinary tract infections account for about 8.3 million doctor visits each...
Several conditions can cause pain in the left flank. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, flank pain may indicate problems with the kidneys, although other tissues or structures---some within the abdomen, some outside the...
A kidney infection---a condition referred to as pyelonephritis---is typically caused by the abnormal presence of bacteria within the kidneys. Treatment of a kidney infection involves the use of antibacterial medications. Left untreated, a kidney...
The urinary system consists of the bladder, kidneys, ureter and urethra. Bacteria can Sometimes infiltrate this system, affecting the upper and lower part of the urinary tract. In some instances, calcium or other such deposits can form within the...
During pregnancy, routine urine testing is often performed at each prenatal appointment. These tests can detect the presence of leukocytes, or white blood cells. According to Merck Manual Online Medical Library, leukocytes are usually found in...
Urinary tract infections can occur at any age in life. This common ailment prompts more than 10 million physician visits each year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most urinary tract infections are...
There are numerous causes of right flank pain. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, or UMMC, flank pain is pain on the body's side, between the upper abdomen and the back. Flank pain can occur on either side of the body,...
Urinary tract infection, or UTI, is one of the most common of all bacterial infections. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases reports roughly 8.3 million physician office visits occur annually in the U.S. for UTI. A...
Numerous conditions can cause left flank pain, or pain on the left side of the torso. According to the Clinical Methods website, flank pain is a sensation of pain or distress in the part of the torso between the ribs and the ilia, or hip bones,...
A kidney infection, or pyelonephritis, occurs when bacteria spreads from the bladder into the kidneys. Bacteria may enter the kidneys as a result of a bladder infection, surgery, catheter insertion or a urinary tract blockage. Kidney infections...
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are approximately 4 million hospital outpatient visits every year in America to treat urinary tract infections. It is essential to have this infection treated. If it is not...
The urinary tract includes the kidneys, bladder and urethra, the canal that drains the bladder. All of these are subject to bacterial infection, known as a urinary tract infection, or UTI. The elderly are especially susceptible to frequent,...
A kidney infection, also known as pyelonephritis, is a specific type of infection of the urinary tract. Pyelonephritis commonly starts as a urinary tract infection in the bladder or urethra and when left untreated, travels up into the kidneys....
Urine is a waste product that contains a substance called urea as well as excess fluid pulled from the body. The structures that make up the urinary system are responsible for the production of urine as well as proper excretion from the body....
According to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) urinary tract infections are very common during pregnancy. Merck explains that the urinary infection can ascend from the genitals to the bladder, up the ureters and into the kidneys...
Enlarged kidneys are related to specific disorders caused by structural abnormalities, infection, birth defects, injury, blockage and pregnancy. Although enlarged kidneys are uncommon, they can be felt during physical examinations, usually when...
Mild, lower-urinary-tract infections are common among women, although fairly rare in men, and most of these infections tend to go away on their own after a few days. If you'd like to hurry yours along, the best thing you can do is drink a lot...
Enlarged kidneys are uncommon and are usually related to a few specific disorders that are caused by birth defects, structural abnormalities, infection, pregnancy, blockage and injury. An enlarged kidney can only be felt occasionally during an...
Kidney infection or pyelonephritis is a specific type of urinary tract infection (UTI) that generally begins in your urethra or bladder and travels up into your kidneys. If not treated properly, kidney infection can permanently damage your...