kidney infections are usually caused by bladder infections that are left untreated.
but there are also many other causes for it other than the bladder infections and also there are many things that can cause a bladder infection that can lead to a kidney infection.
so join us in this article to know more about what causes a kidney infection.
but before we begin diving into our subject I just want to take the chance to remind people that many of the UTI incidents are caused by having a weak immune system among other things (of course) but this is one of the most important.
we cannot improve a weak immune system by only eating healthy because simply our food do not contain all the vitamins and minerals necessary for strengthening our immune system.
so we will need to take these vitamins and minerals in a more concentrated way, we can achieve this by taking multivitamin tablets like centrum which is basically one of the best and most complete options for multivitamins available in the market.
take centrum once a day with food.
here you can check out centrum price on amazon, of course, if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking other medications or supplements consult your doctor before use.
also, take centrum silver men or centrum silver women instead if you are above 50 years old.
now back to our subject.
bladder infections
as I said earlier bladder infections are usually what causes a kidney infection.
bladder infections if left untreated they can progress and cause a kidney infection.
so it’s very important for you to treat your bladder infections as soon as you first notice that you have some symptoms of a bladder infection going on.
to know more about the bladder infection symptoms please visit the bladder infection symptoms article.
later we will talk about what causes a bladder infection in the first place.
but now let’s talk about the things that might cause a kidney infection other than the bladder infection.
bacteria from the blood stream
so, although rarely, but sometimes bacteria can reach the kidneys through the bloodstream.
bacteria can enter your bloodstream from various places.
a respiratory infection (bacteria in the lungs), a gastrointestinal tract infection (bacteria or other microorganisms in the stomach or the intestines), a meningitis infection (bacteria in the fluids around the brain), and other infections, all of these previously mentioned infections can leak out some bacteria from the place of the infection to the bloodstream.
from the bloodstream, these leaked bacteria can go almost anywhere, and one of the places that the bacteria can go to is the kidneys.
some types of bacteria prefer to settle in organs like the kidney, others like the lungs, others like the intestines, and so on.
if these bacteria that reached the kidneys through the bloodstream where from the bacteria types that prefer to live or grow or reproduce in the kidneys then they will go there and cause a kidney infection.
like if the bacteria that has leaked into the bloodstream was the E. coli bacteria or if it was the Klebsiella bacteria then the kidney infection possibility will increase.
these two types of bacteria especially the E coli are responsible for most of the kidney infection cases.
(usually, they will cause a bladder infection and then lead to a kidney infection but they are also capable of causing a kidney infection through reaching the kidneys directly through the bloodstream).
coliform bacteria can also cause a kidney infection through that route.
bacteria can also enter the bloodstream through the skin.
according to WebMD, any sort of bacteria can enter the bloodstream through the skin, and when they enter the bloodstream they can go to any organ in the body and one of these organs is the kidney.
a somewhat deep wound or cut or a whole in the skin can make it easier for the bacteria to go to the bloodstream through it and then travel to your kidneys. although I must say that this scenario happens rarely.
having a weak immune system can increase the possibility of this happening.
having a weak immune system
having a weak immune system can increase the possibility of bacteria spreading through the bloodstream and going to any organ they like including the kidneys.
first off having a strong immune system will prevent infections that can leak bacteria into your bloodstream from happening in the first place.
we discovered earlier that infections like the respiratory infection or meningitis infection or a gastrointestinal tract infection or others can leak out some bacteria to the bloodstream.
and these bacteria can spread to the kidneys and cause the kidney infection.
well if the immune system was strong it will prevent these infections from happening in the first place.
meaning it will prevent infections like the respiratory infection, meningitis, and the others from happening in the first place.
also if any infection happened (because that is inevitable sometimes) the immune system will prevent them from growing enough that is to have a chance to leak out some bacteria to the blood stream.
and if for some reason some bacterium has entered the bloodstream then the white blood cells which are part of the immune system will engulf that bacterium before it can cause a kidney infection or any other infection.
that is of course if the immune system was strong.
note: bacterium is the single noun for bacteria. also if the immune system is strong it will prevent any kind of bacteria from entering the bloodstream through the wounds or cuts in the skin.
a good immune system will also prevent bladder infections from happening or at least will slow down its growth.
a growing bladder infection is the most common cause of kidney infections.
sometimes people having a bladder infection will take time before they realize that they have to go to the doctor or use some home remedies that might treat the bladder infection.
during that time the infection can spread to the kidneys so in some cases by the time the patient contacts the doctor or goes to the hospital it has already became a kidney infection.
having a good immune system will slow down the process of bladder infection turning into a kidney infection.
so it could save you from having a kidney infection if you take some time to do some treatment measures like going to the doctor or using some home remedies.
in another case it’s an overactive immune system is what has caused the bladder infection and thereafter the kidney infection. or to be more precise it’s an immune system that is targeting the wrong objects.
sometimes the immune system’s ability to distinguish between the harmful microorganisms and the body’s own systems and organs is somewhat not too good.
this is actually the case of many autoimmune diseases where the immune system of the patient attacks his or her own body.
interstitial cystitis is one of the diseases that is thought to be caused by an immune system that is targeting the bladder wall without the presence of any bacteria.
when the immune system attacks the bladder wall then we will see the symptoms of interstitial cystitis which are quite similar to the symptoms of the UTI or the bladder infection to be more precise.
these symptoms are frequent urination, urgency with urination, pressure sensation around the bladder area, and others.
these symptoms of the interstitial cystitis may happen without the presence of any type of bacteria because like I said it’s the body’s own immune system attacking the bladder thinking it’s a foreign object.
note: there are other theories that explain the cause of bladder infection besides the theory that says it’s caused by an autoimmune disease, but the autoimmune disease theory is the most accepted one.
whether it was caused by an autoimmune disease or by any other thing, the outcome will be the same.
This outcome is that interstitial cystitis can lead to a bladder infection and then to a kidney infection.
although at first there might be no bacteria the condition of the bladder during the attack of interstitial cystitis or even after it will encourage the bacteria to attack. and if the bacteria attacks the bladder it will be a bladder infection which can lead to kidney infections if left untreated well.
Kidney stones
after we have completed the subject of interstitial cystitis, here is another disease that can result in a kidney infection. this disease is called kidney stones.
kidney stones are already a big problem all by themselves.
the pain of kidney stones is somewhat indescribable, some say that it is equal to the pain of conception in women.
the larger the kidney stones the bigger the pain and also the bigger the issues that they can cause for the person who has them.
in people who have large sized kidney stones, they may also experience a partial blockage or maybe even complete blockage of the urinary tract.
this will cause the urine to aggregate or stagnate in certain areas of the urinary tract. if you leave water stagnated in one area for enough period of time it (maybe for 2 or 3 days) then it will get all dirty or contaminated.
even the color of the water might change. meaning that it was invaded by all sorts of microorganisms including the bacteria.
so what do you think will happen if you leave urine stagnated for some amount of time in your urinary tract. it will be a great source of infection.
the bacteria will see that stagnated urine as a source of food so it will attack it causing a urinary tract infection.
the type of infection will depend on the area in which the urine has stagnated or the area in which the kidney stones have caused a blockage to the urine flow.
if that blockage happened in one of the kidneys then the infection will be in the kidney which is called a kidney infection.
if the blockage is in one of the ureters then the bacteria will go there and cause a ureter infection which is very likely gonna cause a kidney infection.
if the blockage is in the bladder then the bacteria will go there and cause a bladder infection which as we know can develop into a kidney infection.
also, there could be multiple areas in which the urine flow is blocked at the same time. all of these areas could be a source of infection.
any area in which there is a urine flow blockage is an area that could cause a kidney infection.
if this area was in the kidneys then the bacteria will target that area causing a kidney infection.
if it was in another area other than the kidneys then the bacteria will target that area and from that area, the infection can spread to the kidneys.
another way in which kidney stones can cause a kidney infection even if the kidney stones were small is that kidney stones can carry bacteria themselves.
some bacteria can use the kidney stones as a base from which they start their operations. meaning that the bacteria can gather and stick on the surface of these kidney stones.
also, there might be some particles of substances that the bacteria can use it as food on these kidney stones.
so these kidney stones could bring a lot of bacteria to the urinary tract.
they might be not big enough to cause a significant amount of pain but they can bring bacteria with them to the urinary tract which can end up in a kidney infection.
they might be not big enough to be even called kidney stones.
there can be just little constellations of salts (i don’t know if that is the right word to describe it) inside the urinary tract. but these salts constellation can bring bacteria with them and cause trouble.
also, kidney stones as they move through your urinary tract will cause irritations or wounds to the inside walls of the urinary tract.
bacteria will be drone to the areas of these irritations and wounds.
note: the urinary tract consists of the kidneys from up and down to the ureters the bladder and the urethra.
this can be another way in which kidney stones can cause a kidney infection.
always try to drink a lot of water if you think you have kidney stones and contact the doctor.
the doctor will aim first at treating the kidney stones problem but he or she might give you some antibiotics if they think that these kidney stones are causing an infection in your urinary tract.
enlarged prostate or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)
this is a very common illness with males over 50 years of age. when a male gets over 50 years of age there is a high possibility that his prostate gland will enlarge to some extent.
for some males, the enlargement of there prostate will be greater than others and for some, it will be less.
if the prostate gland enlarges to a certain extent then it will cause some pains and maybe difficulty with urination. this condition is called an enlarged prostate or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
the prostate gland is located between the bladder and the penis, surrounding the urethra (which runs through the penis), just in front of the rectum. the prostate gland has a ring shape (which explains why it surrounds the urethra).
this image was done by the cancer research UK organization.
attribution: Cancer Research UK / Wikimedia Commons
understanding the position of the prostate gland will make us understand why an enlarged prostate could result in a kidney infection.
because it’s located under the bladder if the prostate gland gets enlarged in its size it will put some pressure on the bladder.
the more enlarged the prostate gland gets the more the pressure imposed on the bladder will be.
the pressured bladder wall will react to this pressure imposed on it by the prostate by forming an inflammation reaction.
this inflammation reaction will have negative results on the health of the bladder wall.
as a result of this inflamed bladder wall, the patient will notice symptoms like pain or a sense of pressure around the bladder area.
also, he will experience symptoms like frequency and urgency with urination as well as other symptoms. the more the prostate gland gets bigger the stronger the inflammation reaction of the bladder wall will be.
note: inflammation reactions are a defense mechanism used by the body to defend against foreign microorganisms. but in the case of an enlarged prostate, there are no foreign microorganisms, but the bladder doesn’t know that.
so it releases an inflammation reaction anyway thinking it’s an invasion by the foreign microorganisms. and as we emphasized earlier this inflammation reaction can be damaging to the bladder wall.
because of this inflammation reaction, there will be some areas of irritation or wounds in the bladder wall.
these areas can attract bacteria (or other microorganisms but mostly bacteria) to them.
if the number of the bacteria that has gone to the bladder is enough there will be a bladder infection. and if the bladder infection grows and spreads then one of the nearest places it can spread to is the kidneys.
if the bacteria reach the kidneys then it will be a kidney infection.
this scenario of an enlarged prostate causing an inflammation in the bladder wall (cystitis), which in turn causes a bladder infection which can, in turn, cause a kidney infection to occur on a high scale.
that’s why an enlarged prostate is considered one of the common causes of kidney infections.
so a person with an enlarged prostate must take his precautions to prevent a possible kidney infection that he might have because of his prostate.
if the inflammation of the bladder wall remains bacteria less, meaning in spite of the inflammation of the bladder wall no bacteria have invaded the place, then this inflammation alone will be called cystitis.
cystitis is the inflammation of the bladder wall whether it was because of a bacterial invasion or because of an enlarged prostate. but the inflammation of the bladder wall cannot be called a bladder infection if there were no bacteria so it will be called cystitis.
for more information on this subject please visit the cystitis article.
returning to the enlarged prostate subject
an enlarged prostate could result in the stagnation of the urine.
because of two reasons:
1) it will put pressure on the bladder causing interruptions of the urine flow, because the bladder will be folded inwards because of the increasingly enlarged in size prostate.
this change in the shape of the bladder will result in areas where the urine is stagnated. and as we know a stagnated urine is a source of infection and this infection can go to the kidneys.
2) because it surrounds the urethra, an enlarged prostate can close partially or completely the urine flow in the urethra. this will result in the entrapment of the urine inside the bladder.
this entrapped and stagnated urine in itself can be a source of infection as we know. and also it can damage the bladder wall if it remains entrapped for a long time.
damage to the bladder wall will increase the possibility of a bladder infection which can develop to a kidney infection in the future.
so always try to take care of your prostate the more you grow in age.
bladder infections
we discussed earlier the things that might directly cause a kidney infection, or, indirectly cause a bladder infection which can spread to the kidneys.
and we said previously that bladder infections are the most common cause of kidney infections especially if they are left untreated.
sometimes a bladder infection can be caused indirectly by an enlarged prostate or a kidney stone, but, most of the time bladder infections happens through a direct route.
this route is bacteria coming from large intestines on to the rectum and then out on the outer side of the rectum.
from the outer side of the rectum, they will wait for an opening to enter the urethra (which is the last and of the urinary tract from upwards to down) if they enter the urethra in enough numbers and climb it up reaching the bladder then they will cause a bladder infection or a urinary tract infection in general because they will also cause an infection in the urethra.
this is the most common pathway in which people may get infected with a bladder infection or UTI in general.
this pathway occurs more with women than men because of the shorter urethra that the women have. but it still happens to men though.
the bacteria that is most likely to cause you a UTI or a bladder infection through coming from the urethra to the bladder is the E. coli bacteria.
other types of bacteria can also cause a UTI through this route but only on rare occasions. when this bacteria reaches the bladder it sticks to the bladder wall through their claws or hinges that they have.
and from the bladder, they can reproduce and spread to the other near areas. and what area is near to the bladder?
yes, you guessed it right, it’s the kidneys.
many kidney infection cases have been reported due to bacteria coming to the kidneys through that route.
in fact it, maybe the most common route in which people can get a bladder infection and also a kidney infection.
urinary catheterization
bacteria coming from the urethra to the bladder and then possibly to the kidneys are not the only ways in which bladder and kidney infections can happen.
for some people their urine flow is obstructed for some reason, could be an enlarged prostate, or could be something else.
so these people will need a urinary catheter which is a plastic tube to be inserted through the urethra to the bladder to remove the stagnated urine.
this process can only be done by professional people and the catheter and the gloves and other tools, as well as the surrounding environment, must be very clean.
but many times the catheter gets contaminated and this is a very common thing.
this contaminated catheter will bring bacteria to the bladder directly (because it’s inside the bladder) which will result in a bladder infection and possibly a kidney infection.
this urinary catheterization process turned out to be causing many of the kidney infection cases around the world. so caution must be taken in dealing with them.
vesicoureteral reflux
this is a condition in which the little amounts of urine flow backwards (or upwards for that matter) from the bladder and up to the ureters and it may reach the kidneys.
this conditions happens mostly in children and it’s possibility decreases as the child grows in age.
children have shorter ureters than the adults and as they get older their ureters get longer.
so many young folks, especially around the age of 1 or 2 years, have this condition. this condition will cause many of them to have a kidney infection or a UTI.
so always get your child to the doctor if you see that he shows some signs of illness like fever or crying more than usual and crying in an unusual way for your child.
with that said, elderly people are also at risk of this condition. an amount of urine that is returning to the kidneys even if it’s a small amount can bring a lot of bacteria to the kidneys that’s why this condition is serious.
vesicoureteral reflux is a condition that happens to men more than women, but that doesn’t mean that it cannot happen to women.
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with that, we have concluded our article. I hope you enjoyed it. and don’t forget to check out our other articles that talk about the UTI as well. so thank you and goodbye.