Definition
Kidney pain means pain in the kidney regions. These are located on the left and right side of the body – that is why the term “flank pain” is often used as a synonym for “kidney pain“. As body flank the lateral torso is called thereby.
Kidney pain can extend beyond the flanks and radiate towards the groin or back. They are usually felt as stabbing or pressing and can occur in a variety of disorders. It should be noted that not only diseases of the kidneys and urinary tract can cause pain in the flanks.
Pain in disorders of the intestines and the female reproductive organs can also manifest itself in the kidney regions. Kidney pain in combination with nausea can indicate an underfunction of the kidneys. The reason for this is that one of the tasks of the kidneys is to eliminate substances that increase the nausea. If this function fails, nausea occurs. In addition, all severe pain can cause nausea and vomiting – kidney pain is no exception.
Causes of kidney pain with nausea
There are many possible causes for kidney pain and nausea occurring simultaneously. An important disease leading to these symptoms is kidney stone disease. Due to its frequency, it is always one of the first suspected diagnoses when kidney pain occurs.
Kidney stones occur more frequently in people with repeated urinary tract infections and in people who drink too little. If kidney stones form and cannot be transported out of the kidney or ureter because of their size, they can cause severe, colicky pain and nausea. In addition to kidney stones, tumors of the kidney, occlusion of the supplying renal vessels and infections of the kidneys can lead to kidney pain and nausea.
These diseases often show additional symptoms such as high fever or visible blood in the urine. In addition to kidney disorders, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract can lead to pain in the kidney regions and nausea. Gastrointestinal infections are therefore sometimes confused with kidney disease. Pain that develops in the spine can also project onto the flanks, thus feigning kidney pain. In most cases, however, they occur in isolation and without nausea.
