Author: John Carter

Kidney Pain: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

Also called pyelonephritis, this infection could cause discomfort in one or both kidneys. You may feel pain in your back, in your side or both sides under your ribs, or in your groin. Urinary tract infections also cause discomfort in this organ. Ask your healthcare provider if it is safe for you to drink, especially if you have a medical condition or take medicines that might be affected by using alcohol. Women, older people, and those with smaller bodies should be especially careful. Of course, pregnant women are advised not to drink alcohol.

Kidney stones

According to a 2022 review, symptoms do not usually manifest until stage 4 or 5 of the disease. At these stages, CKD moderately to severely impacts kidney function. Talk to your doctor about any kidney pain that does not go away or comes with symptoms such as fever, blood in your pee, or pain when you pee. Your doctor will likely prescribe you an antibiotic if your kidney pain is being caused by an infection. Once your doctor diagnoses the cause of your kidney pain, they can decide on the best treatment plan for you.

How does alcohol harm the kidneys?

This is the area at the back of your abdomen, under your ribcage on both sides of your spine. This pain may be felt as a sudden, sharp, stabbing pain or more of a dull ache. It may be mild or severe and can be felt on one or both sides of the body. Chronic alcohol use is also a major cause of liver disease. When your liver isn’t functioning well, it can impair blood flow to your kidneys. “Liver disease can have significant impacts on the kidneys,” says Dr. Bobart.

A little alcohol—one or two drinks now and then—usually has no serious effects. One reason alcohol may affect the kidneys is through acute kidney injury. This may result from high levels of toxins leading to tissue injury and inflammation. Kidneys are essential to keeping the body healthy and free of harmful substances such as alcohol.

It is the body’s way of warning of a potentially serious medical condition, so it is best not to ignore it. According to a 2018 study, RVT is typically considered a symptom of an underlying condition, most commonly nephrotic syndrome. The symptoms of blunt trauma are hematuria and bruising in the area of the kidney. Blunt trauma is caused by an impact that doesn’t penetrate the skin, while penetrating trauma is damage caused by an object entering the body.

Health Conditions

Your doctor may prescribe kidney medication or recommend programs in your area to help you. Treat gastritis by avoiding alcohol, pain medications, and recreational drugs. Your doctor may prescribe proton pump inhibitors or H2 antagonists to reduce the production of stomach acid. Kidney pain is almost always a sign that something is affecting your kidney. If you have kidney pain, contact a doctor as soon as possible to determine the cause of your pain. If you think you’re experiencing kidney pain, it’s important to talk with a doctor.

Support kidney patients affected by Hurricanes Milton & Helene

  1. A surgeon may also remove only the section of kidney with a tumor, or use cryotherapy to freeze and destroy the tumor alone.
  2. This is the area at the back of your abdomen, under your ribcage on both sides of your spine.
  3. Both of those conditions are the most common causes of chronic kidney disease in the United States.
  4. Reducing alcohol intake can lessen the risk of alcohol-related kidney disease.
  5. They’re under the lower part of your ribcage on the right and left sides of your backbone.

This condition impedes the proper functioning of the kidneys and bladder. Pain is sometimes felt in the side, lower back, or abdomen. Liver disease makes you susceptible to pain or discomfort after drinking alcohol. This is especially likely if your liver is impaired due to alcoholism. The disease can also affect blood flow to the kidneys and cause them to be less effective in filtering blood.

Kidney pain has many possible causes, including an infection, an injury, or kidney stones. You’ll feel pain from a kidney problem in your back on the left or right side of your spine. Blood and urine tests, and sometimes imaging tests, can help your doctor find the source of the pain. Once your doctor knows the cause, they can find the right treatment for you. Women are more likely to have kidney infections because of the way their bodies are built. If you think you have a kidney infection, call your doctor — it needs to be treated right away to help prevent kidney damage.

Conditions

Your doctor can help you find out what is causing your pain and work with you on the best way to treat it. Below are some answers to frequently asked questions about alcohol-induced kidney damage. For example, a person with a UTI that spreads to the kidneys can develop sepsis, a dangerous infection of the blood. Kidney pain usually appears in the back, on either side of the spine, just under the ribs.

What should I do if my kidneys hurt?

People with chronic kidney disease should not drink alcohol at all, and they can speak to a doctor for help with quitting if they are finding it challenging. Kidney pain after drinking alcohol may occur due to acute kidney injury or an infection. Moderate drinking should not cause kidney pain, but binge drinking or frequent drinking may cause kidney problems. You may have kidney pain after drinking alcohol due to dehydration or inflammation of your stomach lining. But it can also happen if you have other health conditions, including a kidney infection.