“How quickly does a UTI turn into a kidney infection?”
My son had symptoms of a UTI 4 days before it turned into a kidney infection (he kept his symptoms hidden from me). Do UTIs normally turn into kidney infections so quickly?
1 Answer
A urinary tract infection, UTI, can spread to the kidney via blood stream or if there are associated anatomical/functional abnormalities such as vesicoureteral reflux, neurogenic bladder, urinary obstruction, presence of kidney stone etc. The time it takes from bladder infection, cystitis, to kidney infection, pyelonephritis, may take anywhere between 24 to 72 hours. This can also be affected by that person's immunity state, and other factors as mentioned before. Pyelonephritis can lead to renal scarring and compromising renal function. It should be treated with IV antibiotic followed by the oral form as early as possible.
