{"id":2536,"date":"2019-01-20T06:52:49","date_gmt":"2019-01-20T06:52:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/?p=2536"},"modified":"2021-05-20T15:47:37","modified_gmt":"2021-05-20T15:47:37","slug":"12-most-common-kidney-infection-causes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/12-most-common-kidney-infection-causes\/","title":{"rendered":"12 Most Common Kidney Infection Causes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Kidney infections are a common though very painful and uncomfortable condition that occurs when an infection goes directly to your kidneys, rendering them unable to do their job properly \u2013 and often leaving you in an incredible amount of pain.
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The symptoms associated with kidney infections are vast and can include urinating too much or too little, a change in the shade of the urine, lower back pain and a long-term fever. If you experience any of the most common symptoms of a kidney infection, you should make an appointment with your doctor as soon as you can and make some lifestyle changes to ensure that it doesn\u2019t happen again.
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This is something that you can only do when you have a clear idea of the different things that can cause a kidney infection in the first place.
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Here are the 8 most common kidney infection causes that you should know about.
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1. Dehydration<\/strong>
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The majority of medical experts recommend that you drink at least eight glasses of water per day and stay hydrated to keep your health in good condition. But the majority of medical experts also agree that your optimal number of glasses per day might be a little less or a little more than this depending on a few factors like your weight<\/a>, height and activity level.
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Once your body starts to show symptoms that it needs to take in water, you have already reached the point of severe dehydration \u2013 and you can expect to see a range of symptoms that include dry skin, dry lips and skin irritation \u2013 but dehydration can also be one of the foremost causes of developing a kidney infection, because when your body doesn\u2019t have enough moisture, your organs can\u2019t do their job properly.
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Dehydration can cause a severe kidney infection in just a few hours.
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2. Overly Acidic Gut<\/strong>
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An overly acidic gut is something that happens if you\u2019re consuming too many acidic foods through your general diet. This can include very obvious things such as lemons, but will also contain things like any foods that produce acid in the gut \u2013 things containing pepper, chilli or curry. It can also sometimes happen to people who have a diet that\u2019s high in hormone-containing meats like pork or processed chicken.
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There are many different things that can cause an overly acidic gut. Most of them can be traced down to your diet, and when you have an overly acidic gut you are at an automatically higher risk of developing a kidney infection \u2013 and it can be one of the most common direct causes of this.
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Medical attention is needed to fix the infection, but lifestyle <\/a>change is also needed to fix the underlying cause of the kidney infection if you don\u2019t want a recurring infection.
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3. Fatty Diet<\/strong>
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Everyone knows that your diet <\/a>should be as healthy and natural as possible or you\u2019ll face the consequences, and it\u2019s one of the first things that personal trainers, diet experts and dieticians will tell you \u2013 but a lot of people are never told what the possible consequences of a bad diet are at the same time, and won\u2019t have any idea until it happens to them.
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A fatty diet isn\u2019t necessarily a diet that contains a lot of fat: There are some types of healthy fats that you should include in your diet even if you want to lose weight; these include things like olive oil and fish oils. A fatty diet is one that contains more unhealthy fat, oil, and grease than it should \u2013 and it can be one of the most common causes of a kidney infection, and it happens when your kidneys are unable to process the toxins.
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5. Untreated UTIs<\/strong>
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Urinary tract infections<\/a> are more common than you would think, and the majority of men and women develop urinary tract infections during their lifetime for a variety of reasons. Just some of the underlying causes of urinary tract infections can include too much acidity in your diet, or exposure to something that you happen to be allergic to Washing powder and fabric are the two most common causes of urinary tract infections.
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They\u2019re usually easy to treat, and a few changes are enough to stop a UTI \u2013 but left untreated for even one day too long, it can become the cause of a kidney infection that takes a little more effort to treat.
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If an STI is spotted early, it\u2019s pretty easy to treat \u2013 but once it turns into a kidney infection, you know you should have had it treated a little sooner before it turned into a bigger problem.
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6. Too Much Alcohol<\/strong>
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Alcohol <\/a>in moderate amounts can be excellent for your heart, and a lot of medical professionals recommend a glass of wine per day or week to keep your circulation going and your heart in top shape \u2013 but as with all things, consuming too much of it instead can have terrible effects on your body.
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If you consume too much alcohol in a short period of time, it\u2019s quick way to a hangover, kidney infection or alcohol poisoning when consumption is severe. The same can also happen over a longer period of time, and if you\u2019ve been drinking too much for too long, you can also give yourself a much more severe kidney infection or even be at a higher risk of developing other problems with your health like a fatty liver. <\/p>\n\n\n\n


If you\u2019ve already developed a kidney infection, it\u2019s vital that you stop consuming alcohol immediately or risk permanent damage.
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7. Caffeine<\/strong>
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Caffeine <\/a>is key to many people who just can\u2019t start their day without it. It\u2019s a natural pesticide that serves as a great, often regular perk-up for humans in the form of candy, energy drinks or just a good regular cup of coffee.
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In moderate amounts, a little bit of caffeine can actually be good for you, and it\u2019s true that it has the potential to increase mental sharpness and improve circulation \u2013 but the opposite is true of consuming too much caffeine, and when this is the case, you\u2019ll find that you feel sluggish, terrible and you\u2019re at a highly increased risk of developing a kidney infection.
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If you experience lower back pain, increased urination and a drastic change in the shade of your urine around the time that you\u2019ve consumed caffeine, it\u2019s likely that you\u2019re on a very fast road to a kidney infection if you aren\u2019t there already.
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8. General Infection<\/strong>
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A general infection <\/a>elsewhere in the body can be a very common cause of a kidney infection. This happens due to the fact that the main task of the kidneys are to process toxins in the body, and if an infection has been raging in your body, it can and will eventually make its way to parts of your body like your kidneys.
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Symptoms of a general infection in the body usually include a fever, nausea and body pains that persist for a time period longer than an hour. If this happens to you, make an appointment with your doctor so that the infection can be brought under control with the right course of antibiotics.
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A general infection is something that always requires immediate medical attention, and it\u2019s not something that you should try to treat at home; there are times where simple antibiotics are best, and this is one of these cases.
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9. Bacterial Infection
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As discussed, a urinary tract infection, (UTI,) is the most common cause of kidney infection. Bacteria <\/a>that enter your urinary tract through the urethra, the tube that carries urine from your bladder. The bacteria multiply and spread through the bladder up into the kidneys where they cause symptoms associated with kidney disease.
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While this condition is twice as common in women than it is men, both sexes can develop kidney disease. However, kidney disease can occur due to bacterial infections in other parts of the body as well. The kidneys rely on a steady volume of blood to help them filter out harmful toxins, and when bacteria enter the bloodstream, they can travel to the organs, resulting in bacterial infection.
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Although a rare occurrence, individuals who have had joint replacements or heart valve replacements are at risk of developing bacterial infections that can spread to other regions of the body, including the kidneys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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10. A Weak Immune System
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Immune function plays a significant role in keeping the body free from disease. When invading pathogens <\/a>and bacteria infect our cells, the immune system signals the creation of white blood cells from T-cells, to kill off the invaders. However, people with a weakened immune function don\u2019t have enough available T-cells to fight off the disease, resulting in a further infection that can cause a life-threatening event.
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Since the primary cause of kidney infection is bacterial, a weak immune system may not be able to overcome a kidney infection without medical assistance. In such a case, a doctor may prescribe antibiotics to treat the disease, and then require the patient to return to the hospital after recovery for a round of dialysis.
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Dialysis clears the blood of any toxins, before returning it to the body. People with poor kidney function require dialysis to survive, and if left untreated, the condition can be fatal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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11. Using a Urinary Catheter
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Hospitalized patients sometimes require the use of a catheter to remove urine <\/a>when the body\u2019s natural ability to urinate is taken away through disability or disease. For instance, men undergoing prostate surgery typically require a catheter to pee after the procedure. Likewise, individuals in a coma cannot get up to go to the bathroom, so a catheter provides removal of urine from the body without the need to move the patient.
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Doctors take every precaution to ensure that all catheters are sterile before insertion. However, it\u2019s possible for the device to carry some bacteria that lead to a UTI, and a resulting kidney infection. This infection can be troublesome for patients who are in a coma or paralyzed, as they typically don\u2019t notice the symptoms of infection right away.
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It\u2019s possible to treat catheter infections using antibiotics and to restrict fluid intake to water only. Most kidney infections will clear up after a few days if managed correctly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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12. Medications and Drugs
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The liver and kidneys act as the body\u2019s filtration system, removing toxins <\/a>and particles from the bloodstream. Patients using aggressive drugs, such as chemotherapy agents, often experience toxicity of the liver and kidneys as a result of taking their medication.
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Some drugs are methylated to improve their bioavailability in the body. However, methylated compounds are extremely taxing on the liver and dramatically increase liver enzymes, as well as producing a toxic effect on the kidneys. When the organ is overworked, it’s susceptible to infection from viruses and bacteria.
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If you are taking drugs to combat infection and disease, it\u2019s best to use a milk thistle supplement to reduce the harmful effects on your renal system. Milk thistle contains the polyphenol compound, \u201csilymarin,\u201d which has a potent anti-inflammatory effect on tissues in the kidneys and liver. Take three to four grams daily, 12-hours apart from your medication to ensure you don’t affect the absorption of the drugs into your system.
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