8 Common Signs That You Are Suffering From Kidney Infection

Our body has a pair of kidneys; they are bean shaped and play a vital role in our well-being. Kidney is the filtering unit of our body; it filters our blood by retaining the good useful components and throwing away the toxic waste material out of the body in the form of urine. Our kidneys are extremely porous and they constantly filter the blood; the good useful component of the blood is re-absorbed and sent back whereas the toxic products are thrown out as urine. Thus it is said that the appearance and amount of urine could be a mirror of the body’s health. The kidney and its functions could be hampered due to a number of reasons such as infection, organ damage, inflammation, cancer etc. and as a result the entire body health is affected. Therefore, we must always look out for any signs of kidney damage and treat it in time. Listed down below are the 8 most common signs of kidney damage caused due to infections.

Common Signs That You Are Suffering From Kidney Infection

1. Abnormal Urination With Blood Or Pus

Kidneys are the filtering units of our body and they produce urine after filtration which is a medium to remove toxic waste outside the body. In case there is a kidney disorder or a kidney infection there is abnormal filtration. The kidney filter which is called the glomeruli gets damaged due to infection. As a result, there is passing of blood along with the urine, which doesn’t happen in normal cases. In addition, the urine also shows presence of pus and cells which is an important indicator of kidney infections.

2. Change In The Appearance Or Smell Of Urine

Due to kidney infection, we saw that there could be passage of blood and pus in the urine. In addition to blood and pus there is also presence of some cell debris, and bacteria in the urine. This changes the appearance of urine and makes it unclear, opaque and also there is discoloration of the urine. In addition, the urine becomes smelly and pungent due to presence of bacteria. These are quite evident signs of kidney infection. In severe cases of infections, you may even experience a burning sensation while passing out urine.

3. Frequent Fever And Shivering

The kidney infection could result in fever and shivering. This happens as the body is in stress and the immune system responds in the form of frequent fever. The person may also experience chills and shivering along with the fever.

4. Loss Of Appetite

Kidney disorders and kidney infection hampers the process of urine formation. This could cause swelling in the limbs as well as cause inflammation within the body. As a result, the person could experience a reduced appetite; in severe cases there may be a complete loss of appetite.

5. Pain In The Kidneys Or Neighboring Areas

Infection of the kidney causes swelling and inflammation with the organ. As a result of the swelling you may experience pain and discomfort in the back area where the kidneys are located. The pain and discomfort could also travel to neighbouring areas reaching the urinary tract as well as the groin. Kidney infections may also cause a burning sensation in the urinary tract especially during urination. This is more commonly experienced in women as they are more susceptible to urinary infections.

6. Stomach And Digestive Problems

Kidney infections are directly related to digestion. Presence of kidney infections hampers the digestion and causes a number of digestive problems like diarrhoea, cramps and contractions in digestive tract etc.

7. Frequently Feeling Tired/ Fatigued

When there is infection in the kidney, it affects the filtration and formation of urine. This hampers a number of body processes; there is build-up of toxic products in the blood and this causes fatigue. The patient feels tired all the time in spite of taking rest. In case of severe infection there may also be mental confusion and lethargy.

8. Abnormal Skin Pigmentation

Kidney helps in the filtration of blood and removal of toxic or unwanted products. In case of an infection this filtration doesn’t happen normally. As a result, some products which ideally must have been thrown out, tend to stay in the blood. One of these products are some pigments. Due to affected filtration some pigments remain in the blood and over the time start to get accumulated under the skin. This causes a typical yellow to brown pigmentation of the skin, especially in the knees, elbows, and also in the under arm area. This pigmentation is a typical sign of kidney infection.