What is Pyelonephritis

Pyelonephritis is the condition in which the renal pelvis section of the kidneys is infected with a urinary tract bacterial infection – usually E.Coli that is normally found in the intestinal tract. The bacteria end up in the urinary tract because of the proximity to the anal region from where the bacteria are sometimes ejected. The condition manifests itself with pain during urination, tenderness in the genital area, abdominal pain that radiates to the back where the kidney is, and sometimes fever and delirium if the condition is in an advanced stage. The condition is usually cured by the use of antibiotics like ciprofloxacin or amoxicillin that may have to be administered intravenously and then followed up with oral doses for a period of two weeks.

The renal pelvis is the area where the kidney ends. If not treated, Pyelonephritis could also cause an advanced stage of nephritis and even the complete loss of kidney function. The disease is sometimes confused with other conditions that present similar symptoms like kidney stones and nephritic cysts. The condition is diagnosed by checking for the presence of white blood cells in the urine and also by using the urine sample for culturing purposes to find evidence of the bacteria. Sometimes a blood test is also required to check the extent of the infection. Additional tests that may be done would include an ultrasound test to ensure that the condition is not a cyst or a kidney stone. The oddity of this disease is that it sometimes starts out as a regular urinary tract infection because of urinary reflux that sometimes occurs; the infection spreads upwards into the kidney. This is a rare case as the reflux of urine in the ureter is a rare disorder in itself. Changing sexual partners is also sometimes implicated in the occurrence of this disease in women. The occurrence of the disease also coincides with the reproductive years.

Natural remedies for pyelonephritis condition to compliment the medicinal treatment as well as to prevent the disease’s recurrence are an increase in the consumption of cranberry and blue berry juice as these provide a hostile environment for the infection. The use of probiotic dairy products also shows positive results, and works by displacing harmful strains of bacteria with healthy bacteria. Tea tree oil can also be used as a topical application around the genital region but by no means should any attempt be made to try applying it internally.