Get Kidney infection information from Consumer Reports Health.

Kidney infection

How common are kidney infections?

We don't know exactly how many people get kidney infections. There hasn't been much research.

In the United States, researchers think that about 3 in 1,000 people get a kidney infection each year.

Source:
Scholes D, Hooton TM, Roberts PL, et al.
Risk factors associated with acute pyelonephritis in healthy women.
Annals of Internal Medicine. 2005; 142: 20-27.

Kidney infections affect people of all ages. But some people are more likely to get infections than others.

In babies up to 1 year old, kidney infections are most common in boys. But after that, girls are 10 times more likely to get them than boys.

Source:
Hoberman A, Chao HP, Keller DM, et al.
Prevalence of urinary tract infection in febrile infants.
Journal of Pediatrics. 1993; 123: 17-23.

²
In adults, kidney infections are more common in women up to the age of 65. After this age, men catch up, because

prostate
Only men have a prostate. It's a small, solid gland that's about the size of a chestnut. Its job is to help make the milky fluid that comes out of a man's penis when he has an orgasm. The fluid from the prostate helps keep sperm healthy and also helps them swim freely.

prostate problems increase older men's risk of kidney infections.

Source:
McBryde C, Redington J.
Diagnosis and management of urinary tract infections: asymptomatic bacteriuria, cystitis and pyelonephritis.
Primary Care Case Reviews. 2001; 4: 1.

³
Pregnant women are particularly likely to get kidney infections. About 2 in 100 pregnant women get a kidney infection.

Source:
Nickel JC.
The management of acute pyelonephritis in adults.
Canadian Journal of Urology. 2001; 8: 29-38.

⁴

Sources for the information on this page:

Scholes D, Hooton TM, Roberts PL, et al.Risk factors associated with acute pyelonephritis in healthy women.Annals of Internal Medicine. 2005; 142: 20-27.

Hoberman A, Chao HP, Keller DM, et al.Prevalence of urinary tract infection in febrile infants.Journal of Pediatrics. 1993; 123: 17-23.

McBryde C, Redington J.Diagnosis and management of urinary tract infections: asymptomatic bacteriuria, cystitis and pyelonephritis.Primary Care Case Reviews. 2001; 4: 1.

Nickel JC.The management of acute pyelonephritis in adults.Canadian Journal of Urology. 2001; 8: 29-38.

This information was last updated on Jan 08, 2009

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