Pyelonephritis is an inflammatory process of kidney tissue caused by a number of pathogens. Acute inflammation causes changes in the kidneys. Pyelonephritis, the treatment of which can last several weeks, is a fairly common disease that affects different age groups of people.
Who is affected?
Pyelonephritis most often occurs in children under the age of 7 years, girls aged 17 to 30 years and older men with prostate adenoma disease.
Most often, inflammation of the kidneys occurs in people suffering from regular bouts of renal colic, as well as urolithiasis. These diseases can slow the outflow of urine from the kidneys, which is a favorable factor for the development of microorganisms. In addition, decreased immunity, diabetes mellitus, the presence of kidney stones or salts, and chronic inflammatory diseases can also be the causes of pyelonephritis. In rare cases, the disease can trigger acute cystitis.
Treatment and classification of pyelonephritis
Acute pyelonephritis. As a rule, acute pyelonephritis, the treatment of which is taking antibiotics, manifests itself 3-4 weeks after suffering furunculosis, tonsillitis, mastitis or other diseases. The main signs of the disease are lower back pain and fever. The disease can also begin with general malaise, headache and weakness. Local symptoms may have a mild character.
Purulent pyelonephritis is much more severe: the temperature rises to 39 ° C, there is profuse sweating. Expressed leukocytosis (from 30 thousand or more) is found in the patient’s blood. In some cases, severe pain leads to an erroneous diagnosis (appendicitis, pancreatitis, stomach ulcers, etc.). In severe cases of the disease, kidney function is impaired, and the level of urea and creatine in the blood increases rapidly.
First of all, the course of the disease depends on the age of the patient and the presence of any inflammatory diseases and diabetes. With early diagnosis of the disease and timely treatment in 60% of patients, the disease ends in recovery.
Treatment
When confirming the diagnosis of acute pyelonephritis, the treatment is carried out in combination with a diet, restorative procedures and the use of antibacterial agents. When choosing antibacterial drugs, the attending physician takes into account the severity of the disease, the individual sensitivity of the patient and the nephrotoxic effect of the drug. Over the course of treatment, the patient is regularly monitored by ultrasound. Antibacterial therapy is carried out until the symptoms are completely eliminated. With prolonged treatment (over 3 weeks), antifungal drugs and vitamins are prescribed.
Chronic pyelonephritis
Sometimes acute pyelonephritis, the treatment of which was ineffective, becomes chronic.
Why is this happening? As a result of the treatment, only the inflammatory process is removed, and the pathogen itself remains in the kidney. The chronic form of pyelonephritis can regularly disturb the patient with pulling back pain. In patients, outflow of urine is impaired, aching pains in the lumbar region occur. In addition, patients with pyelonephritis are characterized by rapid fatigue (due to venous congestion in the kidneys), a decrease in appetite, dry mouth, shortness of breath and heartburn, unnatural pallor of the skin. In some cases, the disease worsens - and then signs of an acute inflammatory process appear. When confirming the diagnosis of "chronic pyelonephritis" treatment is carried out with the same drugs as in the acute course of the disease.
Preventive actions
The main element in the prevention of bladder inflammation is the treatment of diseases that can lead to pyelonephritis (urolithiasis, cystitis, prostate adenoma, etc.). Pregnant women need to have a urine test regularly to detect the disease in a timely manner. It is recommended to adhere to a special diet, which includes moderate consumption of table salt, the complete exclusion of seasonings, coffee and alcohol. Patients need plentiful drink from fruit drinks, juices, mineral water, compotes and jelly. A positive effect on the body is the regular consumption of cranberries. For preventive purposes, the use of kidney tea is possible .
Remember, pyelonephritis is a fairly complex disease that requires treatment and constant medical supervision. At the first suspicion of pyelonephritis, seek qualified help from a specialist.