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Pyelonephritis – Care Plan

By Annie Sarid, MD
Medically reviewed checkmarkMedically reviewed
October 14, 2021

What is Pyelonephritis? 

Pyelonephritis is a kidney infection that happens when a bladder infection travels up the urinary tract into kidney(s). It is often a complication of a urinary tract infection (UTI). Signs and symptoms include painful urination, increased urge to urinate, increased frequency of urination, lower back or flank (side) pain, nausea or vomiting, and sometimes even fever. 

Pyelonephritis can be treated as follows…

Some medication that can help 

  • Oral or intravenous antibiotics 
  • Pain and fever medication (such a ibuprofen) 
  • Pyridium (also known as Azo) 

Next steps 

  • Complete the entire course of the antibiotics you were prescribed. Taking a partial course can result in partial treatment of your infection!

See a doctor in person if…

  • You have a fever
  • You have shaking chills
  • You vomit

Check in with K if…

  • You’re not feeling better within 2-3 days.  Just come back to K, and we’ll re-evaluate your treatment plan.

Prevention tips…

  • Urinating after each sexual encounter can help prevent  infections in the urinary tract 
  • Avoiding spermicide as birth control can help decrease infections in the urinary tract 
  • For diabetics, good control of blood sugar helps prevent infections in the urinary tract 
K Health articles are all written and reviewed by MDs, PhDs, NPs, or PharmDs and are for informational purposes only. This information does not constitute and should not be relied on for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of any treatment.

Annie Sarid, MD

Annie Sarid is the Urgent Care Medical Lead at K Health. Dr. Sarid is a board-certified emergency medicine physician with over 10 years of experience in the emergency room. She received her undergraduate education at Cornell University and went on to receive her medical degree from Sackler School of Medicine at Tel-Aviv University. Dr. Sarid then returned to her Brooklyn roots to complete her residency at Maimonides Medical Center.

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