9. Fever
When an upper urinary tract infection affects the kidneys, a febrile response can occur. A fever is a sort of alarm system that signals the entrance of toxins, viruses, and bacteria into our bodies. The result of the body’s febrile response is an immediate increase in body temperature above the normal values.
Fevers are the body’s primary method of hindering the survival of bacteria and viruses as well as a key component of immune apparatus activation. Fevers are, for the most part, entirely self-limiting, which means that they tend to end without external intervention.
Fevers, however, generate significant discomfort in patients and sometimes indicate the presence of serious underlying pathologies such as upper urinary tract infections.
In otherwise healthy adults, acute fevers that last less than 3 or 4 days are likely due to such infections. Fevers caused by other types of pathology tend to be chronic and recurrent.
