10) Confusion and other neurologic symptoms
This is a common symptom in very advanced stages of the disease when the infection has spread to the nervous system, and especially in the elderly population. These patients are more susceptible to kidney infections, and they are usually affected by various conditions that compromise the normal function of their immune system.
Kidney infections quickly become a problem in the elderly, and patients may start displaying mild changes as mood swifts and drowsiness from the very beginning of the infection. As the problem becomes worse, patients may start having more concerning symptoms such as lethargy, confusion, and other alterations of the consciousness.
Similar to infants, seniors require urgent medical attention to address their medical problems. Otherwise, a simple urinary tract infection might turn into sepsis, fall into organic decompensation and lead to a life-threatening condition. Thus, if you find any abnormal behaviour or distressing symptoms in this population, keep in mind they are more susceptible than the rest and will not display the usual array of signs and symptoms we expect in young adults.
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References
Johnson, J. R., & Russo, T. A. (2018). Acute pyelonephritis in adults. New England Journal of Medicine, 378(1), 48-59.
Ramakrishnan, K., & Scheid, D. C. (2005). Diagnosis and management of acute pyelonephritis in adults. Am Fam Physician, 71(5), 933-42.
Gürgöze, M. K., Akarsu, S., Yilmaz, E., Gödekmerdan, A., Akça, Z., Çiftçi, I., & Aygün, A. D. (2005). Proinflammatory cytokines and procalcitonin in children with acute pyelonephritis. Pediatric Nephrology, 20(10), 1445-1448.
Roberts, J. A. (1991). Etiology and pathophysiology of pyelonephritis. American Journal of Kidney Diseases, 17(1), 1-9.
