Burning when you pee and needing to go more often may seem like a typical UTI. But if you start having a fever, chills, nausea, or pain in your side or back, you may wonder if the infection has reached your kidneys.
Understanding UTI vs kidney infection symptoms can help you know what they may mean and when you need medical care. A bladder infection usually causes symptoms tied to urination, while a kidney infection is more likely to make you feel sick overall.
What’s the Difference Between a UTI vs Kidney Infection?
A urinary tract infection (UTI) can develop anywhere in your urinary tract. Most bacterial UTIs begin when bacteria enter through the urethra and reach the bladder. This lower UTI is often called a bladder infection or cystitis.
A kidney infection, or pyelonephritis, is an upper UTI. It often develops when bacteria move from the bladder to the kidneys. Because the infection involves the kidneys, it can be more serious than a bladder infection.
What Are the Symptoms of a Bladder UTI?
Bladder infection symptoms usually center around urination. You may have:
- Burning or pain when you urinate
- A frequent or strong urge to urinate
- Lower abdominal discomfort or pressure
- Cloudy urine
- Blood in your urine
A bladder infection doesn’t usually cause the fever, chills, or pain in the side or back that can happen with a kidney infection.
How Can You Tell a UTI Is Becoming a Kidney Infection?
One clue is that your symptoms may go beyond changes in urination. You may start to feel sick overall.
Kidney infection symptoms can include:
- Fever
- Chills
- Nausea or vomiting
- Pain in your side or back, usually below the ribs
Doctors may call pain in this area flank pain. If you start with UTI symptoms and then develop fever, chills, or pain in your side or back, get medical care promptly.
Can You Have a Kidney Infection Without UTI Symptoms?
Some people develop fever or pain in the side or back without much burning or frequent urination. Others have bladder and kidney infection symptoms at the same time.
Most kidney infections develop when bacteria travel up from the lower urinary tract. Less often, bacteria can reach the kidneys through the bloodstream.
Why Is a Kidney Infection More Serious Than a UTI?
Once an infection reaches the kidneys, there’s a greater risk of complications. Without treatment, it can damage the kidneys. It can also spread to the bloodstream and cause sepsis, a serious reaction to infection.
That’s why fever, chills, vomiting, or pain in your side or back shouldn’t be ignored, especially if you’re also having UTI symptoms.
How Is a UTI vs Kidney Infection Treated?
Bacterial bladder and kidney infections are usually treated with antibiotics. Your doctor may test your urine for signs of infection and to find the bacteria causing it.
Kidney infections may require different or longer antibiotic treatment than a bladder infection. If you’re very sick or can’t keep fluids or medicine down, you may need treatment in the hospital.
When Should You Get Checked?
Burning when you urinate, frequent urination, or bladder discomfort can be signs of a UTI. See your doctor if you think you have an infection.
Get prompt medical care if you develop fever, chills, vomiting, or pain in your side or back. These symptoms may mean the infection has reached your kidneys.
Get Help for a UTI or Kidney Infection in Murrells Inlet
When you’re comparing a UTI vs kidney infection, fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, or pain in your side or back can be signs that the infection has reached your kidneys.
If you’re having UTI symptoms in Murrells Inlet or Conway, SC, the urology team at Atlantic Urology Clinics can find the cause and recommend treatment. Call 843.347.2450 to make an appointment.