Shivangi Joshi Diagnosed With Pyelonephritis: What Is It And Can It Affect You?

Shivangi Joshi was recently rushed to the hospital due to a kidney issue. The Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai fame actress took to Instagram to reveal her diagnosis: kidney infection or pyelonephritis. She also reminded her fans to take care of their health and stay hydrated. Her advice to drink enough fluids is critical to prevent pyelonephritis. Find out what kidney infection is, why it happens, and how it can be treated and prevented here.

What Is Pyelonephritis?

Pyelonephritis is a type of urinary tract infection (UTI). It usually begins in a person’s bladder or other parts of the lower urinary tract. The infection can then move towards the upper urinary tract, towards either or both kidneys. Sometimes, the blood can carry bacteria or viruses to your kidneys from a different body part.

The body has some natural defence mechanisms against kidney infections. The one-way flow of urine from the kidney to the bladder prevents viruses or bacteria from moving upstream. Urinating also flushes out such disease-causing microorganisms from the body.

These defences can fail due to a variety of causes, leading to a kidney infection.

Symptoms

The signs of pyelonephritis can differ based on an individual’s age. In adults, it usually manifests in symptoms such as chills, fever, pain in the back, side, or groin, nausea, and vomiting.

Symptoms of kidney infections vary by age. Cloudy, dark, bloody, or foul-smelling urine and painful and frequent urination are also warning signs.

Treatment

Kidney infections only rarely lead to serious health problems. Quick treatments are able to prevent most complications. A healthcare professional may prescribe antibiotics to treat your kidney infection. They could go with a general, strong antibiotic, or pick one based on your test results, or do both in succession. It is important to make sure you do not stop taking the medicines before the course is over just because you feel better.

Prevention

Here are a few ways to prevent kidney infections:

1. Fluids are helpful in flushing bacteria out of the urinary system. Water is one of the most easily available, cheap, and preservative-devoid drinks. Most healthy people should drink six to eight glasses of water daily.
2. If the urine stays in the bladder for too long, the chances of bacteria growing there increase. Try to urinate at least once every 3-4 hours.
3. It is important to flush out bacteria that may have entered the urethra during sexual intercourse. The best way to do this, for men and women, is to urinate shortly after sex.

Read all the Latest Lifestyle News here