Acute Pyelonephritis
Description:
Acute pyelonephritis is a common bacterial infection of the renal pelvis and kidney most commonly seen in young adult women. A positive urinalysis, and the presence of E. coli is the most common pathogen to cause the infection(1).
Risk Factors:
- Nonpregant women
- Sexual intercourse (>3x/week in the last 30 days)
- UTI in last 12 months
- Diabetes
- Stress incontinence in the last 30 days
- New sexual partner in the last year
- Recent spermicide use
- History of UTIs in patient’s mother
Diagnostic Criteria:
Ask about the presence of a fever or flank pain which indicate infection in the kidneys. Ask about lower urinary tract symptoms (frequency, urgency and dysuria), upper tract symptoms (flank pain), constitutional symptoms, and GI symptoms (nausea, vomiting, anorexia, abdominal pain). Observe for a fever, tachycardia and hypotension, costovertebral angle tenderness and possible abdominal or suprapubic tenderness(1).