Acute pyelonephritis
463,406views
00:00 / 00:00
Videos
Notes
Acute pyelonephritis
Renal system
Renal and ureteral disorders
Renal agenesis
Horseshoe kidney
Potter sequence
Hyperphosphatemia
Hypophosphatemia
Hypernatremia
Hyponatremia
Hypermagnesemia
Hypomagnesemia
Hyperkalemia
Hypokalemia
Hypercalcemia
Hypocalcemia
Renal tubular acidosis
Minimal change disease
Diabetic nephropathy
Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (NORD)
Amyloidosis
Membranous nephropathy
Lupus nephritis
Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis
Poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis
Goodpasture syndrome
Rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis
IgA nephropathy (NORD)
Lupus nephritis
Alport syndrome
Kidney stones
Hydronephrosis
Acute pyelonephritis
Chronic pyelonephritis
Prerenal azotemia
Renal azotemia
Acute tubular necrosis
Postrenal azotemia
Renal papillary necrosis
Renal cortical necrosis
Chronic kidney disease
Polycystic kidney disease
Multicystic dysplastic kidney
Medullary cystic kidney disease
Medullary sponge kidney
Renal artery stenosis
Renal cell carcinoma
Angiomyolipoma
Nephroblastoma (Wilms tumor)
WAGR syndrome
Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome
Bladder and urethral disorders
Posterior urethral valves
Hypospadias and epispadias
Vesicoureteral reflux
Bladder exstrophy
Urinary incontinence
Neurogenic bladder
Lower urinary tract infection
Transitional cell carcinoma
Non-urothelial bladder cancers
Renal system pathology review
Congenital renal disorders: Pathology review
Renal tubular defects: Pathology review
Renal tubular acidosis: Pathology review
Acid-base disturbances: Pathology review
Electrolyte disturbances: Pathology review
Renal failure: Pathology review
Nephrotic syndromes: Pathology review
Nephritic syndromes: Pathology review
Urinary incontinence: Pathology review
Urinary tract infections: Pathology review
Kidney stones: Pathology review
Renal and urinary tract masses: Pathology review
Assessments
Acute pyelonephritis
Flashcards
0 / 10 complete
USMLE® Step 1 questions
0 / 3 complete
Flashcards
Acute pyelonephritis
of complete
Questions
USMLE® Step 1 style questions USMLE
of complete
Memory Anchors and Partner Content
External References
First Aid
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
Acute pyelonephritis p. 625
labs/findings p. 723
renal papillary necrosis and p. 625
WBC casts in p. 618
Chronic pyelonephritis p. 625
labs/findings p. 723
Diabetes mellitus p. 352-360
pyelonephritis and p. 625
Pregnancy p. 657
pyelonephritis p. 625
Proteus spp.
xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis p. 625
Pyelonephritis p. 625
kidney stones p. 628
labs/findings p. 723
urinary tract infections p. 179
WBC casts in p. 618
Renal papillary necrosis p. 625
pyelonephritis and p. 625
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) p. 179, 625
pyelonephritis p. 625
Urosepsis p. 625
Vesicoureteral reflux p. 603
pyelonephritis p. 625
Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis p. 625
External Links
Transcript
Content Reviewers
Rishi Desai, MD, MPHContributors
Tanner Marshall, MS
With acute pyelonephritis, pyelo- means pelvis, and -neph- refers to the kidney, so in this case it’s the renal pelvis, which is the funnel-like structure of the kidney that drains urine into the ureter, and -itis means inflammation. So acute pyelonephritis describes an inflamed kidney that develops relatively quickly, usually as a result of a bacterial infection.
Now a urinary tract infection, or UTI, is any infection of the urinary tract, which includes the upper portion of the tract—the kidneys and the ureters, and the lower portion of the tract—the bladder and urethra. So acute pyelonephritis is a type of upper urinary tract infection.
Acute pyelonephritis is most often caused by ascending infection, meaning bacteria start by colonizing the urethra and bladder, which would be a lower urinary tract infections, and make their way up the ureters and kidney, therefore upper UTI shares a lot of the same risk factors as lower UTI, things like female sex, sexual intercourse, indwelling catheters, diabetes mellitus, and urinary tract obstruction.
One major factor that increases the risk of an upper UTI from a lower UTI spreading upward is vesicoureteral reflux, or VUR, which is where urine is allowed to move backward up the urinary tract, which can happen if the vesicoureteral orifice fails. The vesicoureteral orifice is the one-way valve that allows urine to flow from each ureter into the bladder, but not in the reverse direction.
Summary
Acute pyelonephritis is a sudden, severe infection of the kidney. The infection may be caused by bacteria that travel up from the bladder or bacteria circulating in the blood (bacteremia). Symptoms of acute pyelonephritis can include fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, and pain in the lower back and sides. If left untreated, acute pyelonephritis can lead to serious complications like sepsis (a potentially life-threatening condition caused by infection).
Sources
- "Robbins Basic Pathology" Elsevier (2017)
- "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, Twentieth Edition (Vol.1 & Vol.2)" McGraw-Hill Education / Medical (2018)
- "Pathophysiology of Disease: An Introduction to Clinical Medicine 8E" McGraw-Hill Education / Medical (2018)
- "CURRENT Medical Diagnosis and Treatment 2020" McGraw-Hill Education / Medical (2019)
- "International Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Treatment of Acute Uncomplicated Cystitis and Pyelonephritis in Women: A 2010 Update by the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the European Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases" Clinical Infectious Diseases (2011)
- "Renal ultrasound and DMSA screening for high-grade vesicoureteral reflux" Pediatrics International (2016)
- "EAU Guidelines on Vesicoureteral Reflux in Children" European Urology (2012)
- "International Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Treatment of Acute Uncomplicated Cystitis and Pyelonephritis in Women: A 2010 Update by the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the European Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases" Clinical Infectious Diseases (2011)
Copyright © 2023 Elsevier, except certain content provided by third parties
Cookies are used by this site.
USMLE® is a joint program of the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME). COMLEX-USA® is a registered trademark of The National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners, Inc. NCLEX-RN® is a registered trademark of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. Test names and other trademarks are the property of the respective trademark holders. None of the trademark holders are endorsed by nor affiliated with Osmosis or this website.
