Pyelonephritis is considered an upper urinary tract infection, commonly referred to as infection of the kidney.
Patients tend to be acutely ill, have a high fever, and would complain of flank pain and associated symptoms of poor appetite and even vomiting.
Cystitis and urethritis are lower urinary tract infections, loosely term as “UTI”. Cystitis would be a urinary bladder infection and urethritis the infection of the urethra (urine tube).
Symptoms of cystitis would include:
- Lower abdominal pain
- Irritative symptoms, E.g. frequency, and urgency of urination
- Painful urination
- Blood in the urine
Symptoms of urethritis can be similar to cystitis but there may be an absence of lower abdominal pain but the presence of discharge from the urethra.
Having said that, all three conditions can occur at the same time. And infection can spread from the lower tract to the upper tract of the urinary system.
