To work out if you have a kidney infection, your GP will ask you about your symptoms and your recent medical history. They'll also assess your general health by taking your temperature and measuring your blood pressure.
Urine test
A urine test can help to establish whether you have a urinary tract infection (UTI). The test involves taking a small sample of urine and checking it to see if there's any bacteria in it.
But a urine test can't tell whether the infection, if you have one, is in your kidneys or another part of your urinary system, such as your bladder.
For your GP to be confident that you have a kidney infection, you need to have a positive urine test plus certain distinctive symptoms, such as a fever or a pain in your side.
Hospital scans
Further testing is usually only required if:
- your symptoms fail to respond to treatment with antibiotics
- your symptoms suddenly get worse
- you have additional symptoms that aren't usually associated with a kidney infection
- you're prone to kidney infection complications
In these circumstances, two types of hospital scan can check your urinary tract for signs of problems. They are:
- a computer tomography (CT) scan – the scanner takes a series of X-rays and a computer is used to assemble them into a detailed image of your urinary tract
- an ultrasound scan – this uses sound waves to build-up an image of the inside of your body
Read about how a kidney infection is treated.
