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Does UTI Cause High Fever,shortness Of Breath And Vomiting?

Posted on Fri, 4 Apr 2014

Question: Good evening. I am a 51 year old female. Two years ago, a Klebsiella Pneumoniae bacteria was found in my urine while being cultured for UTI. I received an antibiotic infusion for 7 days. I have not had another UTI until a month ago. With this UTI I was placed on macrobid (sp?). Within the first week of antibiotic treatment (3 evenings ago) I experienced severe shaking, shortness of breath, 101.9 fever and vomiting. I was directed to the ER and was given an IV of rosephrine (sp?). Today, I went back to my primary physician and it was found in my lab report that a Klebsiella Pneumoniae was missed. Tomorrow, I am beginning a 7 day infusion antibiotic treatment of ....for the life of me I can not recall the exact name but it begins with an "L". My questions to you are: - Is what I experienced 3 evenings ago a sepsis reaction to either the UTI or untreated Klebsiella Pneumoniae? - Why would I be experiencing reoccurring Klebsiella infections when I am not in a hospital or an alcoholic? - Is this a blood infection? - should I consult with any type of medical specialist ; and if so, which medical specialist would this be? I genuinely thank you for your time with my questions. XXXXXXX

Answered by Dr. Divya Kuttikrishnan (1 hour later)

Brief Answer: Urinary tract infection /klebsiella pneumoniae. Detailed Answer: Hi there. Thanks for writing in. I think the current antibiotic iv infusion you are about to receive might be Levofloxacin. The medication would depend on which antibiotic would be capable of attacking klebsiella, based on culture and sensitivity. Yes ,you might be right. UTI (what you experienced 3 days back) can present with symptoms like high fever,shortness of breath, vomiting etc. In addition some people have symptoms like burning urination, increased frequency of urination, lower abdominal pain, low back ache etc. I understand that you are not an alcoholic nor a person who is chronically exposed to the hospital. Any history of diabetes? Get your blood sugar levels checked. Even then, females are generally prone to UTI due to a lot of reasons. Though untreated UTI can lead to sepsis/blood infection as a complication, I do not think what you have right now is blood infection. I think your primary physician is good enough. Do the following measures to prevent another urine infection. As I said, females are more prone to developing urinary tract infection. 1.Drink plenty of water , at least 8-12 glasses of water a day . 2.Regular periodic emptying of the bladder. Every 3-4 hours empty your bladder. 3.Follow good perineal hygiene, by keeping the area clean and dry. After urinating, wash the area with water and dry it with toilet paper. 4.Wash the perineal region before and after sexual intercourse. 5. Drinking a glass of cranberry juice might help. 6. Empty your bladder before going to bed. And again empty your bladder 20 minutes later. Hope my answer was helpful to you. Do get back to me if you have any further queries. Regards, Dr. Divya Kuttikrishnan

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar