If your right kidney area is painful, it may be caused by a relatively common
kidney problem, such as a urinary tract infection or kidney stones.
Your
kidneys are located at the back of the epigastric region below the chest
cavity. You have one on each side of your spine. Due to the size and location
of your liver, your right kidney tends to be slightly lower than your left
kidney.
Most
situations that cause kidney (kidney) pain will only affect one of your
kidneys. Pain in the right kidney area may indicate a kidney problem or may be
caused by nearby organs, muscles, or other body tissues.
Here
are 6 potential causes of right kidney pain:
|
Common causes |
Uncommon causes urinary |
|
Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) |
Kidney trauma kidney |
|
kidney stone |
Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) |
|
|
Renal vein thrombosis (RVT) |
|
|
Kidney cancer |
Read on to learn about these possible causes of kidney pain and how these
problems are usually diagnosed and treated.
1.
Urinary Tract Infections
(UTIs)
Usually
caused by bacteria, but sometimes by fungi or viruses, urinary tract infections
are common infections.
While
they usually involve the lower urinary tract (urethra and bladder), they may
also involve the upper urethra (ureter and kidneys).
If your
kidneys are affected, signs and symptoms may include:
- High fever
- Side and upper back pain
- Chills and shivers
- Frequent urination
- Persistent urge to urinate
- Blood or pus in the urine
- Nausea and vomiting
Treatment
As a
first-line treatment for UTIs, doctors may prescribe antibiotics.
If your
kidneys are infected (pyelonephritis), they may prescribe a fluoroquinolone. If
you have a severe UTI, your doctor may recommend that you be hospitalized and
given intravenous antibiotics.
2.
Kidney
stone.
Formed
in your kidneys — usually, from concentrated urine — kidney stones are hardened
deposits of salts and minerals.
Symptoms
of kidney stones may include:
- Side and back pain
- Persistent need to urinate
- Pain when urinating
- Urinating
- Bloody or cloudy urine
- Nausea and vomiting
Treatment
If the
kidney stone is small enough, it may pass out on its own.
Your
doctor may recommend taking painkillers and drinking up to 2 to 3 quarts of
water per day. They may also give you α blocker that relaxes your ureter and
helps stones pass through easier and less painfully.
If the
stones are large or cause damage, your doctor may recommend more invasive
surgeries, such as:
- Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy
(ESWL). This process uses sound waves to break kidney stones into smaller,
easier-to-pass pieces.
- Percutaneous nephrolithotomy. During this
process, doctors use small telescopes and instruments to surgically remove
the stones.
- Scope. During this process, the doctor
will use special tools to get them through your urethra and bladder to
trap or break the stones.
3.
Kidney
trauma
Renal
trauma is exogenous kidney injury.
Blunt
trauma is caused by an impact that does not penetrate the skin while
penetrating trauma is an injury caused by an object entering the body.
Symptoms
of blunt trauma are hematuria and bruising in the renal region. The symptom of
penetrating trauma is a wound.
Kidney
trauma is measured on a scale of 1 to 5, with grade 1 being minor and grade 5
being a kidney that has broken and cut off the blood supply.
Treatment
Most
kidney trauma can be treated without surgery, treating the possible side
effects of trauma, such as malaise and high blood pressure.
Your
doctor may also recommend physical therapy and, in rare cases, surgery.
4.
Polycystic
kidney disease (PKD)
PKD is
a genetic disorder characterized by the growth of clusters of fluid-filled
cysts on your kidneys. PKD is a chronic kidney disease that reduces kidney
function and may lead to kidney failure.
Signs
and symptoms of PKD may include:
- Back and side pain
- Hematuria (blood in the urine)
- Kidney stones
- Heart valve abnormalities
- Hypertension
Treatment
Since
PKD cannot be cured, your doctor will help you manage your condition by
treating the symptoms.
For
example, if one of the symptoms is high blood pressure, they may prescribe
dietary changes, as well as angiotensin-II receptor blockers (ARBs) or angiotensin-converting
enzyme (ACE) inhibitors.
For
kidney infections, they may prescribe antibiotics.
In
2018, the FDA approved tolvaptan, a drug used to treat autosomal dominant
polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), a form of PKD that accounts for about 90 percent of PKD cases(1).
5.
Renal
vein thrombosis (RVT)
Your
two kidney veins carry hypoxic blood from your kidneys to your heart. If a
blood clot forms in one or both of them, it is called renal vein thrombosis
(RVT).
This is
very rare. Symptoms include:
- Low back pain
- Hematuria
- Decreased urine output
Treatment
According
to a 2018 study (2),
RVT is often considered a symptom of an underlying disorder, most commonly
nephrotic syndrome.
Nephrotic
syndrome is a kidney disease characterized by your body excreting too much
protein. If your RVT is the result of treatment for nephrotic syndrome, your
doctor may recommend:
- Antihypertensive drugs
- Water pills, cholesterol-lowering drugs
- Blood thinner
- Immune system suppressing drugs
6.
Kidney
cancer
Kidney
cancer usually does not develop symptoms until late in life. Later symptoms
include:
- Persistent side and back pain
- Hematuria
- Fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Unexplained weight loss
- Intermittent fever
Treatment
Surgery
is the main treatment for most kidney cancers:
- Nephrectomy:
Removal of the entire kidney
- Partial
nephrectomy: removal of the tumor from the kidneys
Your
surgeon may choose between open surgery (a single incision) or laparoscopic
surgery (a series of small incisions).
Other
treatments for kidney cancer include:
- Immunotherapy with drugs such as
interleukin and nalvuliumab
- Targeted therapy is performed using drugs
such as cabozantinib, sorafenib, everolimus, and tisirololimus
- Radiation therapy is performed using
high-powered energy beams such as X-rays
When to
see a doctor
If you
have persistent pain in your upper middle back or both sides, see a doctor.
This can be a kidney problem that, if left unnoticed, can permanently damage
your kidneys.
In some
cases, such as kidney infections, life-threatening complications can be caused.
Conclusion
If your
right kidney area is painful, it may be caused by a relatively common kidney
problem, such as a urinary tract infection or kidney stones.
Pain in
the right kidney area may also be caused by more rare conditions, such as renal
vein thrombosis (RVT) or polycystic nephropathy (PKD).
If your
kidney area is in constant pain, or the pain is getting worse or interferes
with your daily activities, see a doctor for a diagnosis and treatment plan.