The symptoms of a kidney infection usually develop quite quickly over a few hours or days.
Common symptoms include:
- pain and discomfort in your side, lower back or around your genitals
- high temperature – 38 degrees Celsius or above; it may reach 39.5 degrees Celsius
- shivering or chills
- feeling very weak or tired
- loss of appetite
- feeling sick or being sick
- diarrhoea
You may have other symptoms if you also have a urinary tract infection (UTI) such as cystitis.
These other symptoms may include:
- pain or a burning sensation when peeing
- a need to pee suddenly or more often than usual
- blood in your pee
- smelly or cloudy pee
- pain in your lower tummy
- pain in your genitals
In older people, a kidney infection may cause confusion.
Symptoms of kidney infection in children
Children with a kidney infection may have the following symptoms:
- smelly pee
- blood in their pee
- wetting the bed
- high temperature and feeling unwell
- tummy ache
- vomiting
A child younger than 2 years with a kidney infection may only have a high temperature, without any other obvious symptoms.
Non-urgent advice: Talk to your GP if you:
- feel feverish and have pain in your tummy, lower back or genitals that will not go away
- have symptoms of a UTI that haven't improved after a few days
- have blood in your pee
Urgent advice: Talk to your GP immediately if:
- you think your child may have a kidney infection
Kidney infections need fast treatment with antibiotics.
Content supplied by the NHS and adapted for Ireland by the HSE
