Pyelonephritis is an acute infection of the ureters, renal pelvis, and renal parenchyma. Pyelonephritis is a non-specific inflammation of the kidneys in which the parenchyma of the kidney, the tubular system, the renal calyces, and the pelvis are simultaneously or sequentially affected. In addition to cystitis, the cause of the pathology is various microorganisms that have entered the urinary system (Sargsyan, 2020). These include Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli, staphylococci, and other bacteria.
In pyelonephritis, mainly tubular structures of the kidneys are damaged. As a result, the blood filtration process is disturbed, and there is a loss of biologically significant substances. An autoimmune complication of pyelonephritis, glomerulonephritis, can lead to kidney failure (Sargsyan, 2020). Women suffer from pyelonephritis more often than men. That is due to the anatomical features of the structure of the urinary tract: women have shorter urethra, so the infection will quickly get from the lower sections to the higher ones. The same applies to children under the age of 7, whose proportion among those with pyelonephritis is relatively high (Belyayeva & Jeong, 2022).
Men are more likely to suffer from this pathology in adulthood and old age. In them, pyelonephritis is based on a problematic outflow of urine from the kidneys due to the narrowing of the lumen of the urethra by an enlarged prostate with adenoma (Belyayeva & Jeong, 2022). More often, this disease affects only one kidney, but there are cases of bilateral localization of the process.
The main symptom of acute pyelonephritis is a pain in the back and the lumbar region. Visually, a person notes the clouding of urine and changes its shade to a darker one. In a third of cases, pyelonephritis is accompanied by bladder inflammation – cystitis, manifested by painful, frequent urination and a false urge to urinate (Belyayeva & Jeong, 2022). A doctor examines the patient, collects a detailed history, evaluates the symptoms, and prescribes a comprehensive examination to make the correct diagnosis. In order to do this, laboratory and hardware studies are carried out, which may include a general and biochemical analysis of urine and blood or an ultrasound of the kidneys and bladder (Belyayeva & Jeong, 2022). Therapy of pyelonephritis aims to destroy pathogens: Escherichia and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, enterococci, and anaerobic bacteria (Sargsyan, 2020). Based on the results of the tests at the acute stage, the urologist prescribes an individual course of antibiotics to the patient, which must be completed to restore the outflow of urine and renal circulation.
References
Belyayeva, M., & Jeong, J. M. (2022). Acute Pyelonephritis. NCBI. Web.
Sargsyan, A. (2020). Essential notes on pathophysiology for advanced practice nurses. Johnson City. Web.