Protein and bacteria in urine
Protein and bacteria in the urine are a clear indication of an infection in the urinary tract. This can be located in the urethra, the bladder or even in the kidney and, depending on its location, can cause greater or lesser damage. Anyone who has a cystitis or urinary tract infection usually feels pain and burning when urinating, and symptoms such as fever can also occur.
If the infection is quickly diagnosed and treated with antibiotics, it usually leaves no consequential damage and is healed after one to two weeks. If, however, the bacteria remain in the urinary tract for so long that they rise up to the kidneys, one must count on a clearly longer process up to chronic kidney damage. In this case, too, antibiotic therapy should be administered as soon as possible.
The diagnosis of protein and bacteria in the urine can initially be made using the rapid test using the Urine Stix. This test can detect an increased amount of protein in the urine, and it also shows whether there are leukocytes (inflammatory cells) in the urine. These cells are usually only found there if there is a urinary tract infection.
Bacteria can be detected indirectly via their metabolic product “nitrite”. If an infection is detected, a urine culture should be made. In this way it can be determined which bacterium is responsible for the infection and targeted antibiotics can be administered.
Protein in urine and kidney pain
Kidney pain usually manifests itself at the level of the lower thoracic spine in the form of back pain; flank pain may also occur. The kidney pain usually indicates that the cause of the proteins in the urine is actually in the kidney. For example, bacteria can settle in the kidney and cause inflammation there.
Kidney diseases that originate from the renal corpuscles can also lead to kidney pain. Since the filter function of the kidney is impaired by this, damage to the renal corpuscles results in the excretion of protein in the urine.
