When bacteria gets into your kidneys, it can cause an infection. The bacteria that cause kidney infections usually come from another part of your urinary tract, such as your bladder, ureters or urethra.
Kidney infections can affect one kidney at a time or both of your kidneys at the same time. It is very important to treat kidney infections as soon as possible.
Kidney infections that are not treated soon enough can cause permanent kidney damage or can spread to other parts of your body and cause an even more serious infection.
Who gets kidney infections?
You are more likely to get a kidney infection if you:
1. Have a bladder infection. An infection in the bladder can spread to the kidneys.
2. Have a problem with the shape of your urinary tract that makes it harder for urine to pass through
3. Have a blockage in your urinary tract, such as a kidney stone or an enlarged prostate (in men)
4. Have diabetes
5. Have a weakened immune system.
6. Use a catheter to drain urine from your bladder
7. Have a health problem called vesicoureteral reflux (VUR). A normal urinary tract only allows urine to flow down the ureters into the bladder. People with VUR have urinary tracts that allow urine to flow backwards, up the ureters, which can lead to kidney infections.